NF-κB-related decrease of glioma angiogenic potential by graphite nanoparticles and graphene oxide nanoplatelets

Gliomas develop an expanded vessel network and a microenvironment characterized by an altered redox environment, which produces high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) that fuel its growth and malignancy. ROS and RNS can influence tumor cell malignancy via the redox-regulated transcription factor NF-κB, whose activation is further regulated by the mutation status of p53. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of graphite nanoparticles (NG) and graphene oxide nanoplatelets (nGO) on the angiogenic potential of glioma cell lines with different p53 statuses. Nanoparticle treatment of glioma cells decreased the angiogenesis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) cocultured with U87 (p53 wild type) and was not effective for U118 (p53 mutant) cells. Nanoparticle activity was related to the decreased level of intracellular ROS and RNS, which downregulated NF-κB signaling depending on the p53 status of the cell line. Activation of NF-κB signaling affected downstream protein levels of interleukin 6, interleukin 8, growth-regulated oncogene α, and monocyte chemotactic protein 1. These results indicate that the activity of NG and nGO can be regulated by the mutation status of glioma cells and therefore give new insights into the use of nanoparticles in personalized biomedical applications regarding glioma angiogenesis and its microenvironment.