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 epirubicingold nanoparticles caused significantly more structural changes of hepatocellular carcinoma cells HepG2. The tumor weight in the Epi-AuNP treatment group (0.80?.11 g) was significantly lower than that of the control group (2.48?.15 g), the AuNP treatment group (1.67?.17 g), and the EPI treatment group (1.39?.10 g) (P,0.01).Furthermore, the tumor volume of mice in the EPI-AuNP treatment group (0.27?.06 cm3) was significantly smaller than that of the control group (2.23?.34 cm3), the AuNP treatment group (1.21?.25 cm3) and the EPI treatment group (0.81?.11 cm3) (P,0.01). In conclusion, epirubicin-nanogold compounds (EPI-AuNP) have significant inhibitory effects on the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vivo.