Vincristine Decorated Hybrid Nanoparticles Exert Anti-Tumor Effects on Retinoblastoma Cells by Repressing the PI3K/Akt Pathway

Using nanomaterials is a potential way to improve the accuracy and safety of chemotherapeutic drugs and avoid the toxic side effects caused by the non-selectivity of traditionally used chemotherapeutic agents. Vincristine is a commercial clinical chemotherapeutic drug with good anti-tumor effects. However, the effects of vincristine decorated hybrid nanoparticles (VCR-HNPs) on human retinoblastoma cells have not been previously reported. In this study, we explored the impact of VCR-HNPs exposure on retinoblastoma cells and identified the corresponding mechanism involved in their activity. Retinoblastoma WERI-Rb1 and Y-79 cell lines were treated with different concentrations of VCR-HNPs and effects on cell proliferation were analyzed using the CCK8 assay, while apoptosis was measured and analyzed by flow cytometry. To further analyze the outcome of apoptosis, Western blot assay was used to evaluate the expression levels of proteins correlating with apoptosis. Proteins involved in the PI3K/Akt pathway were also analyzed by western blotting to identify whether this pathway was involved in the molecular response to VCR-HNPs exposure. Compared with the control group, VCR-HNPs markedly inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis, at concentrations greater than 20 mg/L. In addition, western blotting experiments confirmed that VCR-HNPs could downregulate the phosphorylation of proteins involved in the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway leading to the inactivation of the signaling pathway. VCR-HNPs exerted tumor suppressor effects on human retinoblastoma via inhibition of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.