Graphene Oxide-Gold Nanorods Nanocomposite-Porphyrin Conjugate as Promising Tool for Cancer Phototherapy Performance.

Thabang Calvin Lebepe,Sundararajan Parani,Olufunto Tolulope Fanoro,Jose Rajendran Varghese,Oluwatobi Samuel Oluwafemi,Vuyelwa Ncapayi,Tetsuya Kodama,Atsuki Komiya,Rodney Maluleke,Grace It Mwad Mbaz

doi:10.3390/ph14121295

Thabang Calvin Lebepe, Sundararajan Parani + Show 8 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ph14121295

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Abstract

The cancer mortality rate has increased, and conventional cancer treatments are known for having many side effects. Therefore, it is imperative to find a new therapeutic agent or modify the existing therapeutic agents for better performance and efficiency. Herein, a synergetic phototherapeutic agent based on a combination of photothermal and photodynamic therapy is proposed. The phototherapeutic agent consists of water-soluble cationic porphyrin (5,10,15,20-tetrakis(N-methylpyridinium-3-yl)porphyrin, TMePyP), and gold nanorods (AuNRs) anchored on graphene-oxide (GO) sheet. The TMePyP was initially synthesized by Adler method, followed by methylation, while GO and AuNRs were synthesized using Hummer’s and seed-mediated methods, respectively. The structural and optical properties of TMePyP were confirmed using UV-Vis, zeta analyzer, PL, FTIR and NMR. The formation of both GO and AuNRs was confirmed by UV-Vis-NIR, FTIR, TEM and zeta analyzer. TMePyP and AuNRs were anchored on GO to form GO@AuNRs-TMePyP nanocomposite. The as-synthesized nanocomposite was stable in RPMI and PBS medium, and, on irradiation, produced high heat than the bare AuNRs, with high photothermal efficiency. In addition, the nanocomposite produced higher singlet oxygen than TMePyP with high biocompatibility in the absence of light. These results indicated that the as-synthesized nanocomposite is a promising dual photodynamic and photothermal agent for cancer therapy.

Highlights

IntroductionSynergistic cancer therapy has an advantage as it is the combination of multiple therapies to avoid cancer reoccurrence [2]
Cancer synergistic therapy is gaining the spotlight as statistics of cancer incidents are anticipated to increase by 38.6% by 2040, according to the World Health Organization [1].Synergistic cancer therapy has an advantage as it is the combination of multiple therapies to avoid cancer reoccurrence [2]
1,3-diphenyl benzofuran and meiodide were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich, Kempton Park, South Africa

Summary

Introduction

Synergistic cancer therapy has an advantage as it is the combination of multiple therapies to avoid cancer reoccurrence [2]. Some of these synergistic therapies, such as combined chemotherapy/immunotherapy, can cause side effects, leading to patients scarring and drug resistance. Phototherapeutic treatments such as photothermal and photodynamic have been shown to be non-invasive, highly comprehensive, and precise with low side effects [3,4,5]. Nanomaterials must absorb in the near-infrared (NIR) region, with wavelengths ranging from 650–1350 nm [3,6], and gold nanorods (AuNRs) are of excellent choice

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