Abstract: Objective To explore the mechanism of podophyllotoxin nanostructured lipid carriers (POD-NLC)-induced
apoptosis of VK2/E6E7 cells mediated by endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS). Methods VK2/E6E7 cells cultured in vitro were
exposed to 0.125, 0.25, and 0.5 μg/ml POD-NLC or blank NLC for 24 h. The intracellular calcium concentration was measured
by laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM), and the expression levels of GRP78, GRP94, and calpain2 mRNA and proteins
in the cells were detected using RT-PCR and Western blotting. Results Compared with the control cells, the cells exposed to
POD-NLC showed a concentration-dependent increase of intracellular calcium concentration (P<0.01), and the differences
were statistically significant between different dose groups (P<0.05). RT-PCR and Western blotting showed that POD-NLC
up-regulated GRP78, GRP94 and calpain2 mRNA and proteins expressions, whish showed significant differences between
blank-NLC and the control groups (P>0.05). Conclusion POD-NLC induces apoptosis of VK2/E6E7 cells possibly by triggering
the endoplasmic reticulum stress response.