Abstract
The combined effects of ionizing radiation (IR) with high-z metallic nanoparticles (NPs) such as gold has developed a growing interest over the recent years. It is currently accepted that radiosensitization is not only attributed to physical effects but also to underlying chemical and biological mechanisms’ contributions. Low- and high-linear energy transfer (LET) IRs produce DNA damage of different structural types. The combination of IR with gold nanoparticles may increase the clustering of energy deposition events in the vicinity of the NPs due to the production mainly of photoelectrons and Auger electrons. Biological lesions of such origin for example on DNA are more difficult to be repaired compared to isolated lesions and can augment IR’s detrimental effects as shown by numerous studies. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) offers a unique opportunity to study the complexity of these effects on a very detailed cellular level, in terms of structure, including nanoparticle uptake and damage. Cellular uptake and nanoparticle distribution inside the cell are crucial in order to contribute to an optimal dose enhancement effect. TEM is mostly used to observe the cellular localization of nanoparticles. However, it can also provide valuable insights on the NPs’ radiosensitization pathways, by studying the biochemical mechanisms through immunogold-labelling of antigenic sites at ultrastructural level under high resolution and magnification. Here, our goal is to describe the possibilities, methodologies and proper use of TEM in the interest of studying NPs-based radiosensitization mechanisms.
Highlights
ionizing radiation (IR) is widely used both for therapeutic and for diagnostic purposes.Despite the advantages in cancer treatment exposure to IR is often associated with adverse health effects [1]
We aim to introduce Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) as an efficient way to study the biochemical effects of gold nanoparticles after ionizing radiation in vitro, by summarizing the most important experimental procedures accompanying TEM, along with their protocols
Cells were grown in Dulbecco’s modified MEM (DMEM) medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), 1% L-glutamine and antibiotics
Summary
Despite the advantages in cancer treatment exposure to IR is often associated with adverse health effects [1]. This is due to the fact that radiation damage cancer tissue and healthy tissue. The idea of using radiosensitizers to enhance radiation effect in tumor therapy, while. Nanomaterials 2021, 11, 859 minimizing the damage to the normal tissue, has gained a lot of attention [2,3]. Metal nanoparticles (NPs) such as gold (high atomic number Z = 79) can increase radiosensitivity by increasing local energy deposition by using differential absorption coefficient of high atomic number material, compared to the soft tissue [4]. In this paper we used colloidal solutions of two types of gold nanoparticles (GNPs), citrate-capped GNPs and PEG-capped
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.