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Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have now been recognized as promising therapeutic molecules and are extending their use in cancer diagnosis and therapy. This study demonstrates for the first time the antitumor activity of green-synthesized AgNPs against lung cancer in vitro and in vivo. Cytotoxicity effect was explored on human lung cancer H1299 cells in vitro by MTT and trypan blue assays. Apoptosis was measured by morphological assessment, and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) transcriptional activity was determined by a luciferase reporter gene assay. The expressions of phosphorylated stat3, bcl-2, survivin, and caspase-3 were examined by Western blot analysis. AgNPs showed dose-dependent cytotoxicity and stimulation of apoptosis in H1299 cells. The effects on H1299 cells correlated well with the inhibition of NF-κB activity, a decrease in bcl-2, and an increase in caspase-3 and survivin expression. AgNPs significantly suppressed the H1299 tumor growth in a xenograft severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mouse model. The results demonstrate the anticancer activities of AgNPs, suggesting that they may act as potential beneficial molecules in lung cancer chemoprevention and chemotherapy, especially for early-stage intervention.

PurposeTo construct a preoperative nomogram to differentiate invasive pulmonary adenocarcinomas (IPAs) from preinvasive lesions in patients with solitary pure ground-glass nodules (GGN).MethodsA primary cohort of patients with pathologically confirmed pulmonary solitary pure GGN after surgery were retrospectively studied at five institutions from January 2009 to September 2015. Half of the patients were randomly selected and assigned to a model-development cohort, and the remaining patients were assigned to a validation cohort. A nomogram predicting the invasive extent of the solitary GGNs was constructed based on the independent risk factors. Predictive performance was evaluated by concordance index (C-index) and calibration curve.ResultsOut of 898 cases included in the study, 501 (55.8%) were preinvasive lesions and 397 (44.2%) were IPAs. In the univariate analysis, lesion size (p < 0.001), lesion margin (p = 0.041), lesion shape (p < 0.001), mean computed tomography (CT) value (p = 0.018), presence of pleural indentation (p = 0.017), and smoking status (p = 0.014) were significantly associated with invasive extent. In multivariate analysis, lesion size (p < 0.001), lesion margin (p = 0.042), lesion shape (p < 0.001), mean CT value (p = 0.014), presence of pleural indentation (p = 0.026), and smoking status (p = 0.004) remained the predictive factors of invasive extent. A nomogram was developed and validation results showed a C-index of 0.94, demonstrating excellent concordance between predicted and observed results.ConclusionsWe established and validated a novel nomogram that can identify IPAs from preinvasive lesions in patients with solitary pure GGN.