Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) have been widely applied in numerous biomedical fields. The evaluation of the toxicity of IONPs to the environment and human beings is indispensable to guide their applications. IONPs are usually considered to have good biocompatibility; however, some literatures have reported the toxicity of IONPs in vitro and in vivo. The controversy surrounding the biocompatibility of IONPs prompted us to carefully consider the biological effects of IONPs, especially under stress conditions. However, the potential risks of IONPs under stress conditions have not yet been evaluated in depth. Acrolein is widespread in the environment and modulates stress-induced gene activation and cell death in many organs and tissues. In this study, we assessed the sensitivity of H9c2 cardiomyocyte cells embedded with IONPs to acrolein and investigated the possible molecular mechanisms involved in this sensitivity. IONPs, which alone exhibited no toxicity, sensitized the H9c2 cardiomyocytes to acrolein-induced dysfunction. The IONP/acrolein treatment induced a loss of viability, membrane disruption, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, Erk activation, mitochondrial and lysosomal dysfunction, and necrosis in H9c2 cells. Treatment with an ROS generation inhibitor (diphenyleneiodonium) or an iron chelator (deferoxamine) prevented the IONP/acrolein-induced loss of viability, suggesting that ROS and IONP degradation facilitated the toxicity of the IONP/acrolein treatment in H9c2 cells. Our data suggest that cells embedded in IONPs are more vulnerable to oxidative stress, which confirms the hypothesis that nanoparticles can sensitize cells to the adverse effects of external stimulation. The present work provides a new perspective from which to evaluate the interactions between nanoparticles and cells.
