The differential effect of apoferritin-PbS nanocomposites on cell cycle progression in normal and cancerous cellsElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c1jm13563e

We report the effects induced by near-infrared apoferritin-PbS (AFt-PbS) nanocomposites on cell cycle progression in non-tumorigenic and cancerous human cells. By using flow cytometry and Annexin V assay, we show that the cell cycle of non-tumorigenic cells is not altered by exposure to AFt-PbS nanoparticles at concentrations up to 1 mg mL 1 . In contrast, exposure of human-derived breast cancer cell lines to AFt-PbS at concentrations > 0.2 mg mL 1 triggers apoptotic cell death. The selective death of cancerous cells and the near-infrared fluorescence properties of AFt-PbS could be exploited in both nanomedicine and in vivo imaging studies. We report the effects induced by apoferritin-PbS nanocapsules on cell cycle progression in non-tumorigenic and cancerous human cells. The observed intracellular uptake of the nanoparticles by endocytosis and the selective death of cancerous cells by apoptosis open up new prospects for future exploitation of these nanocomposites for in vivo studies and nanomedicine.