Disruption of HepG2 cell adhesion by gold nanoparticle and Paclitaxel disclosed by in situ QCM measurement

Cell adhesion is a crucial issue for cytotoxicity or anticancer effectiveness for tumor cells. However, how both nanoparticles and drugs affect cell adhesion has not yet been defined. Herein, we report for the first time that gold nanoparticles and Paclitaxel can disrupt adhesion, as well as enhance apoptosis of HepG2 cell individually and synergistically, as observed by in situ measurement using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). It was also found by MTT assay that gold nanoparticles of low cellular cytotoxicity enhance the antiproliferation and apoptosis of HepG2 cell induced by Paclitaxel. Those findings would be of great potential for biomedical application of nanoparticles.