Ultrathin gold nanowires to enhance radiation therapy

Journal of Nanobiotechnology

Chaebin Lee¹  Weizhong Zhang¹  Fangchao Jiang¹  Wen Jiang¹  Jin Xie¹  Dandan Li²  Qingjie Ma³  Bin Ji³  Shi Gao³  Renjie Wang³  Lin Bai³  Zibo Li⁴  Hui Wang⁴ 

[1]Department of Chemistry, University of Georgia, 30602, Athens, GA, USA

[2]Department of Gastrointestinal Medicine, Endoscopy Center, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, 130033, Changchun, Jilin, China

[3]Department of Nuclear Medicine, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, 130033, Changchun, Jilin, China

[4]NHC Key Laboratory of Radiobiology, School of Public Health of Jilin University, 130033, Changchun, Jilin, China

[5]Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 27599, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

关键词: Gold nanoparticles;    Radiation therapy;    Radiosensitizer;    Radicals;    Nanowires;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12951-020-00678-3

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundRadiation therapy is a main treatment option for cancer. Due to normal tissue toxicity, radiosensitizers are commonly used to enhance RT. In particular, heavy metal or high-Z materials, such as gold nanoparticles, have been investigated as radiosensitizers. So far, however, the related studies have been focused on spherical gold nanoparticles. In this study, we assessed the potential of ultra-thin gold nanowires as a radiosensitizer, which is the first time.MethodsGold nanowires were synthesized by the reduction of HAuCl4 in hexane. The as-synthesized gold nanowires were then coated with a layer of PEGylated phospholipid to be rendered soluble in water. Spherical gold nanoparticles coated with the same phospholipid were also synthesized as a comparison. Gold nanowires and gold nanospheres were first tested in solutions for their ability to enhance radical production under irradiation. They were then incubated with 4T1 cells to assess whether they could elevate cell oxidative stress under irradiation. Lastly, gold nanowires and gold nanoparticles were intratumorally injected into a 4T1 xenograft model, followed by irradiation applied to tumors (3 Gy/per day for three days). Tumor growth was monitored and compared.ResultsOur studies showed that gold nanowires are superior to gold nanospheres in enhancing radical production under X-ray radiation. In vitro analysis found that the presence of gold nanowires caused elevated lipid peroxidation and intracellular oxidative stress under radiation. When tested in vivo, gold nanowires plus irradiation led to better tumor suppression than gold nanospheres plus radiation. Moreover, gold nanowires were found to be gradually reduced to shorter nanowires by glutathione, which may benefit fractionated radiation.ConclusionOur studies suggest that gold nanowires are a promising type of radiosensitizer that can be safely injected into tumors to enhance radiotherapy. While the current study was conducted in a breast cancer model, the approach can be extended to the treatment of other cancer types.

【 授权许可】

CC BY