Titanium Oxide Nanoparticles Improve the Chemotherapeutic Action of Erlotinib in Liver Cancer Cells

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among other types of cancer due to lack of effective treatments and late diagnosis. Nanocarriers represent a novel method to deliver chemotherapeutic drugs, enhancing their bioavailability and stability. Methods: In the present study, we loaded gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and titanium oxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) with ERL to investigate the efficiency of the formed composite in inducing apoptosis in HepG2 liver cancer cells. Cytotoxicity was assessed using MTT assay and cell phase distribution was assessed by flow cytometry along with apoptosis detection. Results: Data obtained indicated the efficiency of the formed composite to significantly induce cell death and arrest cell cycle and G2/M phase. IRF4 was downregulated after treatment with loaded ERL. Conclusion: Our data showed that loading ERL on TiO2NPs was more efficient than AuNPs. However, both nanocarriers were efficient compared with control.