Zinc oxide nanoparticles antagonize the effect of Cetuximab on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in vitro

摘要

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are being used in many cosmetic products and have been shown to induce tumor-selective cell death in human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in vitro. Cetuximab is a monoclonal antibody directed against the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), whose effectiveness for HNSCC, alone or in combination with cytostatic drugs, has been demonstrated intensively in the last decades. Nanoparticles are known to interact with protein