title: Lysosome-mitochondria-mediated apoptosis specifically evoked in cancer cells induced by gold nanorods.
abstract: The main aim of this article is to explain the apoptosis mechanisms of cancer cells specifically triggered by gold nanorods (GNRs).
  
  
  
  GNRs were synthesized and optimized, the lysosome damage, cathepsin D, mitochondrial membrane potential, caspase-9, cleaved caspase-9, caspase-3 and intracellular GNRs location related to apoptosis was systematically evaluated.
  
  
  
  GNRs specifically induce cancer cell apoptosis while posing a negligible impact on normal cells. After incubation with GNRs, the lysosomal permeability in cancer cells as indicated by cathepsin D was markedly higher than that in normal cells and resulted in an obvious decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential. Western blot analysis further confirmed that apoptosis occurred through caspase-9 and caspase-3 activation following mitochondrial damage. Transmission electron microscope images showed that GNRs did not appear in most of the damaged mitochondria but mainly accumulated in lysosomes.
  
  
  
  These findings indicated that GNR-induced apoptosis specifically in cancer cells by affecting lysosomes and mitochondria.
authors.affiliation: International Joint Cancer Institute, The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China.
authors.forename: Fulei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: International Joint Cancer Institute, The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China.
authors.forename: Xiandi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, The Second Military Medical University, First Affiliated, Hospital, 168 Changhai Road, Shanghai 200433, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.affiliation: International Joint Cancer Institute, The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China.
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: International Joint Cancer Institute, The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China.
authors.forename: Di
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: International Joint Cancer Institute, The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: International Joint Cancer Institute, The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: International Joint Cancer Institute, The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China.
authors.forename: Mengfang
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: International Joint Cancer Institute, The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China.|PLA General Hospital Cancer Center, PLA Graduate School of Medicine, Beijing 100853, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D053453:Caspase 9 / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival; D003412:Cricetulus; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008247:Lysosomes / Q000378:metabolism*; D053078:Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial; D051379:Mice; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism*; D043942:Nanotubes / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size
chemical_list: D006046:Gold; D053148:Caspase 3; D053453:Caspase 9
keywords: apoptosis; gold nanorods; lysosome; mitochondrion