Epirubicin-gold nanoparticles suppress hepatocellular carcinoma xenograft growth in nude mice

We sought to investigate the effects of epirubicin-nanogold compounds (EPI-AuNP) on hepatocellular carcinoma xenograft growth in nude mice. EPI-AuNP was prepared and hepatoma xenograft model was established in nude mice. The mice were then randomly divided into four groups: the control group with injection of saline, the AuNP treatment group, the EPI treatment group and the EPI-AuNP treatment group. After two weeks, the hepatoma weight and volume of the xenografts were assessed. Our transmission electron microscopy revealed that epirubicin-gold nanoparticles caused significantly more structural changes of hepatocellular carcinoma cells HepG2. The tumor weight in the Epi-AuNP treatment group (0.80±0.11 g) was significantly lower than that of the control group (2.48±0.15 g), the AuNP treatment group (1.67±0.17 g), and the EPI treatment group (1.39±0.10 g) (P<0.01). Furthermore, the tumor volume of mice in the EPI-AuNP treatment group (0.27±0.06 cm(3)) was significantly smaller than that of the control group (2.23±0.34 cm(3)), the AuNP treatment group (1.21±0.25 cm(3)) and the EPI treatment group (0.81±0.11 cm(3)) (P<0.01). In conclusion, epirubicin-nanogold compounds (EPI-AuNP) have significant inhibitory effects on the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vivo.