Abstract
Gold nanorods exhibit a wide variety of applications such as tumor molecular imaging and photothermal therapy (PTT) due to their tunable optical properties. Several studies have demonstrated that the combination of other therapeutic strategies may improve PTT efficiency. A method called optical droplet vaporization (ODV) was considered as another noninvasive imaging and therapy strategy. Via the ODV method, superheated perfluorocarbon droplets can be vaporized to a gas phase for enhancing ultrasound imaging; meanwhile, this violent process can cause damage to cells and tissue. In addition, active targeting through the functionalization with targeting ligands can effectively increase nanoprobe accumulation in the tumor area, improving the sensitivity and specificity of imaging and therapy. Our study prepared a nanoparticle loaded with gold nanorods and perfluorinated hexane and conjugated to a monoclonal antibody (MAGE-1 antibody) to melanoma-associated antigens (MAGE) targeting melanoma, investigated the synergistic effect of PTT/ODV therapy, and monitored the therapeutic effect using ultrasound. The prepared MAGE-Au-PFH-NPs achieved complete eradication of tumors. Meanwhile, the MAGE-Au-PFH-NPs also possess significant ultrasound imaging signal enhancement, which shows the potential for imaging-guided tumor therapy in the future.
Highlights
Melanoma is a malignant neoplasm sourced from melanocytes skin cells—with poor prognosis at advanced stages
Results showed that the size and zeta potential changes measured at 48 h and 72 h had no statistic difference compared with 12 h that could confirm the stability of Melanomaassociated antigens (MAGE)-Au-PFH-NPs (Figures 1(a)–1(d))
The result of the PAI scanning showed that the maximum absorbance of three groups (Au-NPs, Au-PFH-NPs, and MAGEAu-PFH-NPs) had been detected at 780 nm which conformed to the spectral properties of gold nanorods (GNRs/Au-NRs) (Figure 1(e))
Summary
Melanoma is a malignant neoplasm sourced from melanocytes skin cells—with poor prognosis at advanced stages. Standard cancer treatments can be highly toxic to healthy tissues without differentiating malignant from normal cells, causing significant adverse effects in patients. Nanoparticlebased photothermal ablation therapy assisted by nearinfrared (NIR) laser holds a promise to eliminate tumors noninvasively, reduce tumor resistance, and prevent recurrence [1,2,3]. Active targeting ability through functionalization with specific ligands can effectively enable nanoprobes to accumulate in the tumor area [2]. Melanomaassociated antigens (MAGE) are a specific and highly expressed family of antigens in malignant melanoma [4,5,6]. MAGE proteins could be used to functionalize nanoprobes for molecular imaging and accurate treatment of melanoma
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