Abstract
Tungsten oxide sol, containing highly crystalline nanoparticles of orthorhombic WO3 and having good sedimentation stability, was synthesized using a facile, ultrasonic-assisted technique. An additional steric stabilizer, dextran, was proposed to enhance the stability of WO3 nanoparticles in biological media and to reduce their in vivo toxicity. The cytotoxicity of dextran-stabilized and nonstabilized WO3 sols was studied in vitro using dental pulp stem (DPS) cell lines and breast cancer (MCF-7) cell lines. Both tungsten oxide sols demonstrated low cytotoxicity and low genotoxicity for both stem cells and malignant cells and only slightly reduced their metabolic activity in the concentration range studied (from 0.2 to 200 μg/ml). The data obtained support possible theranostic applications of tungsten oxide colloidal solutions.
Highlights
MCF-7 cells retained their original morphology and activity after incubation with WO3 nanoparticles, which confirmed the absence of a toxic effect
We studied the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) after the incubation of the cells with WO3 nanoparticles (Figure 5)
The same protocol was used for the synthesis of polyacrylic acid-capped tungsten oxide nanoparticles, which exerted a negligible cytotoxic effect on the A549 human alveolar basal epithelial cell line within the concentration range of 50-1000 μg/mL after 24 hours of incubation [115]
Summary
WO3 nanoparticles strongly enhance the visibility of tissue structures in X-ray-based imaging techniques, namely, computed tomography (CT). Tungsten oxide nanoparticles possessing photocatalytic properties [22, 27, 28] have been applied in photothermal [22, 26, 29, 30] and photodynamic [22, 30,31,32] therapies. Tungsten oxide nanoparticles act as a radiation dose-intensifying agent during radiation therapy [32] and can be used as a theranostic agent for simultaneous tumour CT imaging and therapy (trimodal action: photothermal, photodynamic, and radiation [32]). The safety and hazard data on WO3 is available at PubChem [33]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: 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.
