Evaluation of EGFR-targeted gold/gold sulfide (GGS) nanoparticles as a theranostic agent in photothermal therapy

Abstract

Introduction; The use of nanoparticles as multifunctional agents has gained growing attention as a way of improving the quality of cancer diagnosis and therapeutic strategies. It is due to their appropriate size, ability to accumulate in tumor cells and high absorption coefficient in near-infrared wavelengths, which allow for in-depth photothermal treatment. Methods; gold/gold sulfide (GGS) nanoparticle was chosen as a bed-carrying antibody and radiotracer. There are many Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors (EGFR) on the surface of cancer cells. Therefore, by targeting GGS nanoparticles with a monoclonal antibody of cetuximab (C225) in the absence of a linker and tracing by 99mTc, we investigated the effect of photothermal treatment on the proliferation and survival of MDA-MB-231 and A549 cell lines. Results; The nanoconjugate was synthesized with a mean diameter of 64.54 nm. 99mTc- GGS-Cetuximab-PVP was prepared with high radiochemical purity and in vitro stability of 35.2% for A549 and 51% for MDA-MB-231. The targeted nanoconjugate IC50 for the MDA-MB-231 and A549 cells was estimated at 375 and >375 μg L−1, respectively. Conclusion; Photothermal therapy can reduce cell survival to less than 20%. It is anticipated the photothermal therapy mediated by the targeted GGS can be substituted or at least contribute to some invasive treatments.