Combination of palladium nanoparticles and tubastatin-A potentiates apoptosis in human breast cancer cells: a novel therapeutic approach for cancer

BACKGROUND Breast cancer is the most common malignant disease that occurs in women. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition has recently emerged as an effective and attractive target for the treatment of cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a combined treatment of tubastatin A (TUB-A) and palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) against MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells using two different cytotoxic agents that work by two different mechanisms, thereby decreasing the probability of chemoresistance in cancer cells and increasing the efficacy of toxicity, to provide efficient therapy for advanced stage of cancer without any undesired side effects. METHODS PdNPs were synthesized using a novel biomolecule called R-phycoerythrin and characterized using various analytical techniques. The combinatorial effect of TUB-A and PdNPs was assessed by various cellular and biochemical assays and also by gene expression analysis. RESULTS The biologically synthesized PdNPs had an average size of 25 nm and were spherical in shape. Treatment of MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells with TUB-A or PdNPs showed a dose-dependent effect on cell viability. The combination of 4 μM TUB-A and 4 μM PdNPs had a significant inhibitory effect on cell viability compared with either TUB-A or PdNPs alone. The combinatorial treatment also had a more pronounced effect on the inhibition of HDAC activity and enhanced apoptosis by regulating various cellular and biochemical changes. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that there was a strong synergistic interaction between TUB-A and PdNPs in increasing apoptosis in human breast cancer cells. These data provide an important preclinical basis for future clinical trials on this drug combination. This combinatorial treatment increased therapeutic potentials, thereby demonstrating a relevant targeted therapy for breast cancer. Furthermore, we have provided the first evidence for the combinatorial effect and mechanism of toxicity of TUB-A and PdNPs in human breast cancer cells. The novelties of the study were identification of a combination therapy that consists of suitable therapeutic molecules that kill cancer cells and also exploration of two different possible mechanisms involved to reduce chemoresistance in cancer cells.