Gold Nanoparticles Suppressed Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Cells via Downregulation of CCT3

Emerging evidences have demonstrated that gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been used for cancer treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects and molecular mechanisms of AuNPs on papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) cells (BCPAP and TPC-1). Characterizations of AuNPs were detected by UV-Vis spectra, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Cell proliferation and apoptosis, migration, and invasion of PTC cells were evaluated by MTT, flow cytometry, wound healing, and transwell assays, respectively. Furthermore, qRT-PCR and western blot assays were performed to assess the protein expressions related to apoptosis and migration including caspase-3, caspase-9, Bax, Bcl-2, MMP-2, and MMP-9. The study revealed that AuNPs significantly suppressed cell viability, migration, and invasion and remarkably induced apoptosis of BCPAP and TPC-1 cells compared with the control group. Moreover, AuNPs negatively regulated the expression of CCT3 and silencing of CCT3 obviously promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion inhibition and apoptosis induction of PTC cells combined with AuNPs. Collectively, these results highlighted the potential application of AuNPs in PTC target therapy.