In Vitro Evaluation of DSPE-PEG (5000) Amine SWCNT Toxicity and Efficacy as a Novel Nanovector Candidate in Photothermal Therapy by Response Surface Methodology (RSM).

Naghmeh Hadidi,Fatemeh Shahi,Gholamreza Pazuki,Niloufar Shahbahrami Moghadam,Parviz Parvin

doi:10.3390/cells10112874

Abstract

Nowadays, finding a novel, effective, biocompatible, and minimally invasive cancer treatment is of great importance. One of the most promising research fields is the development of biocompatible photothermal nanocarriers. PTT (photothermal therapy) with an NIR (near-infrared) wavelength range (700–2000 nm) would cause cell death by increasing intercellular and intracellular temperature. PTT could also be helpful to overcome drug resistance during cancer treatments. In this study, an amine derivative of phospholipid poly ethylene glycol (DSPE-PEG (5000) amine) was conjugated with SWCNTs (single-walled carbon nanotubes) to reduce their intrinsic toxicity. Toxicity studies were performed on lung, liver, and ovarian cancer cell lines that were reported to show some degree of drug resistance to cisplatin. Toxicity results suggested that DSPE-PEG (5000) amine SWCNTs might be biocompatible photothermal nanocarriers in PTT. Therefore, our next step was to investigate the effect of DSPE-PEG (5000) amine SWCNT concentration, cell treatment time, and laser fluence on the apoptosis/necrosis of SKOV3 cells post-NIR exposure by RSM and experimental design software. It was concluded that photothermal efficacy and total apoptosis would be dose-dependent in terms of DSPE-PEG (5000) amine SWCNT concentration and fluence. Optimal solutions which showed the highest apoptosis and lowest necrosis were then achieved.

Highlights

Nanomaterials are at the cutting edge of soaring progress in the field of nanotechnology
Non-covalent functionalization was achieved through π-π stacking between the hydrophobic phospholipid chain of DSPE-PEG and the hydrophobic surface of SWCNTs
One mg of sterile pure SWCNTs were dispersed in about 2 mL of sterile RPMI-1640 medium, and the suspension was sonicated using a probe with 100% amplitude, 120 W power, 20 sec pulse, and 10 s pause for 10 min on ice (UP200Ht, Hielscher, Germany)

Summary

Introduction

Nanomaterials are at the cutting edge of soaring progress in the field of nanotechnology. Nanomaterials boost the biomedical application of new generations of pharmaceutical products, imaging contrast, photosensitizers, or combination therapies in various types of cancer [1,2,3,4]. The application of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in nanomedicine is a promising perspective. CNTs are nanostructures with distinctive features, including a high surfacearea-to-volume ratio, a high loading capacity for drug delivery, and optimal properties as well as thermal conductivity. CNTs’ toxicity is still a drawback in regard to their biomedical administration. Covalent and non-covalent functionalization with polymers such as phospholipid PEG derivatives and surfactants would remarkably improve CNTs’

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Conclusion