Full Length Research Paper

Effect of ferric oxide nanoparticles on microtubules organization

Ali Khaleghian^1,2, Gholam Hossein Riazi², Shahin Ahmadian², Mahmoud Ghafari², Marzieh Rezaie¹, Akira Takahashi³, Yutaka Nakaya³ and Hossein Nazari1³*

¹Department of Biochemistry and Hematology, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran.

²Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, 13145-1384, Iran.

³Department of Nutrition and Metabolism, University of Tokushima, Tokushima, Japan.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: hossen253@yahoo.co.uk.

Tel: (+98) 231- 4441021- 22. Fax: (+98) 231-3354161.

Accepted 14 March, 2010.

   Abstract

Nanoparticles (NPs) are widely used in several manufactured products. The small size of nanoparticles facilitates­ their uptake into cells as well as transcytosis across epithelial cells into blood and lymph circulation to reach different sites, such as the central nervous system. Studies have shown different risks of Fe₂O₃NPs in the neuronal system and other organs. They are membrane-bound layer aggregates or single particles that could not enter only cells, but also in mitochondria and nuclei. Therefore­, these particles can interact with cytoplasmic proteins­ such as microtubules (MTs). MTs are cytoskeleton proteins that are essential in eukaryotic cells for a variety of functions, such as cellular transport, cell motility and mitosis. MTs play an important role in neurons and to act as a substances transport such as neurotransmitters. Single Fe₂O₃NPs in cytoplasm can interact­ with these proteins and affect their crucial functions­ in different­ tissues. In this study, we showed the effects of Fe₂O₃NPs on MTs organization and structure using ultraviolet spectrophotometer and fluorometry. The fluorescent spectroscopy­ showed a significant tubulin conformational­ change in the presence of Fe₂O₃NPs and the ultraviolet spectroscopy­ results showed that Fe₂O₃NPs causes MTs depolymerization and decrease turbidity intensity as well as increase spectra emission. The aim of this study was to find the potential risks that Fe₂O₃NPs pose to human organs and cells for cancer treatment.

Key words: Ferric oxide, tubulin, microtubule, protein­ interaction, nanoparticle.