Omeg@Silica microencapsulated fish oil counteracts tumor-related inflammation in lung adenocarcinoma cells

Abstract

A strong association exists among inflammation and lung cancer. Oncogenic miR-21 is a target of the pro-inflammatory transcription factor NF-κB, while NF-κB-miR-21 interplay has a relevant role in the amplification of inflammatory responses that promote cancer progression. A new fish oil integrally extracted from anchovy fillet leftovers (“AnchoisOil”) and microencapsulated in mesoporous silica particles (“Omeg@Silica”) is significantly more effective than fish oil alone in anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines. The biomoecular mechanisms that explain this efficacy are not yet understood.

The present study was aimed to investigate the biomolecular mechanisms by which Omeg@Silica microparticles exert anti-cancer effects in NSCLC by exploring miR-21, NF-kB and IL-8 expression and release in these cells.

We treated NSCLC cell (adenocarcinoma A549, and muco-epidermoid NCI-H292) with AnchoisOil dispersed in ethanol (10 and 15 mg/ml), or encapsulated in silica (Omeg@Silica: FOS in graphs and data plots), evaluating the expression/release of miRNA-21, IL-8 and NF-kB.

On both NSCLC cell lines the Omeg@Silica microparticles were more effective than AnchoisOil fish oil alone in reducing IL-8 gene expression. In A549, the microencapsulated fish oil was more effective in decreasing miRNA-21, IL-8 protein release and the expression of NF-kB.

These new results suggest that Omeg@Silica microparticles could exert their anti-cancer activity, counteracting tumor-related inflammation, by the inhibition of NF-kB/miR-21/IL-8 interplay in lung adenocarcinoma cells.