Modulation of fibronectin and laminin expression by Rhodium (II) citrate-coated maghemite nanoparticles in mice bearing breast tumor

Degradation of cellular matrix is one of the important processes related to the progression of breast cancer. Tumor cells have the ability to exhibit necessary conditions for growth and survival, promoting degradation processes of extracellular matrix proteins, such as laminin (LN) and fibronectin (FN). In this study, we evaluated whether treatments, based on free rhodium (II) citrate (Rh-2(H(2)cit)(4)), maghemite nanoparticles coated with citrate (Magh-cit) and maghemite nanoparticles coated with rhodium (II) citrate (Magh-Rh-2(H(2)cit)(4)), in murine metastatic breast carcinoma models can modulate the expression of laminin and fibronectin proteins. Synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering. The expression of FN and LN was assessed using immunohistochemistry and western blotting. The gene expression of FN1 and LAMA1 were evaluated using real-time PCR. The FN1 and LAMA1 transcripts from the Magh-Rh-2(H(2)cit)(4) treated group were 95% and 94%, respectively, lower than the control group. Significant reduction in tumor volume for animals treated with Magh-Rh-2(H(2)cit)(4) was observed, of about 83%. We witnessed statistically significant reductions of FN and LN expression following treatment with Magh-Rh-2(H(2)cit)(4). We have demonstrated that the antitumor effects of Magh-Rh-2(H(2)cit)(4) and Rh-2(H(2)cit)(4) regulate the expression of FN and LN in metastatic breast tumors.