Figure 11.

Carbon-coated iron oxide NPs (Fe₃O₄@aC) promote cytotoxic effects in drug-induced senescent breast cancer cells with different gene mutation statuses (left) that is mechanistically achieved by the induction of reductive stress (decreased ROS production, elevated levels of antioxidant proteins such as FOXO3a, SOD1, and GPX4) (right). Reductive stress-mediated cytotoxicity (right) was accompanied by inflammatory response (NFκB activation, increased secretion of IL-6 and IL-8), nucleolar stress (relocation of nucleolar proteins), increased levels of cell cycle inhibitors, and autophagy induction (increased levels of BECN1 and LC3B) that, in turn, led to apoptotic cell death as judged by phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization and caspase 9 (mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis) and caspase 3 activation. Created with BioRender.com.