[01] Md. Zakir Hossain, Department of Applied Science, Applied Biosciences, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise (BRITE), North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina, United States. [02] Wisam J. Khudhayer, Department of Systems Engineering, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States. [03] Rozina Akter, Department of Applied Science, Applied Biosciences, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States. [04] Tansel Karabacak, Department of Applied Science, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States. [05] Maurice G. Kleve, Department of Biology, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States.

We have investigated the cellular toxicity and anti-cancer effects of Ni NWs in one of the most aggressive human pancreatic ductal cancer (Panc-1) cell lines with the objective of development of a potential cell selective pancreatic cancer treatment strategy. Ni NWs were fabricated in a custom-made setup utilizing the electrodeposition method. Elemental analysis, crystallographic structure, and morphological properties of the synthesized Ni NWs were investigated using, X-Ray Diffraction (X-RD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), respectively. Two commercially available and straight forward distinct cytotoxicity procedures including 3-(4, 5dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and trypan blue (TB) Assay were utilized to determine the qualitative and quantitative cytotoxicity and anti-cancer effects of Ni NWs. The elemental composition study and XRD demonstrated that the Ni NWs prepared in this study are pure Ni with face-centered cubic (fcc) lattice rather than Ni compounds. Both the MTT and TB assays, qualitatively and quantitatively confirmed the cytotoxic and anti-cancer effects of Ni NWs treated Panc-1 cells in vitro in both concentration and exposure-time dependent manners. We explored the molecular mechanisms associated with the biological pathway involved in Ni NWs induced toxicity against Panc-1 cells. Our results evidence that Ni NWs show strong candidacy for targeting cell selective pancreatic cancer therapy.

Nickel Nanowires, Anti-Cancer Effects, Panc-1, Pancreatic Cancer

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