Abstract
BackgroundAnticancer agents and operating procedures have been developed for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, but their prognosis remains poor. It is necessary to develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for HCC to improve its prognosis. Lactosome is a core-shell-type polymeric micelle, and enclosing labeling or anticancer agents into this micelle enables drug delivery. In this study, we investigated the diagnostic and therapeutic efficacies of indocyanine green (ICG)-loaded lactosome for near-infrared fluorescence (NIF) imaging and photodynamic therapy (PDT) for HCC.MethodsThe human HCC cell line HuH-7 was treated with ICG or ICG-lactosome, followed by PDT, and the cell viabilities were measured (in vitro PDT efficiency). For NIF imaging, HuH-7 cells were subcutaneously transplanted into BALB/c nude mice, followed by intravenous administration of ICG or ICG-lactosome. The transplanted animals were treated with PDT, and the antineoplastic effects were analyzed (in vivo PDT efficiency).ResultsPDT had toxic effects on HuH-7 cells treated with ICG-lactosome, but not ICG alone. NIF imaging revealed that the fluorescence of tumor areas in ICG-lactosome-treated animals was higher than that of contralateral regions at 24 h after injection and thereafter. PDT exerted immediate and continuous phototoxic effects in the transplanted mice treated with ICG-lactosome.ConclusionsOur results demonstrate that ICG-lactosome accumulated in xenograft tumors, and that PDT had antineoplastic effects on these malignant implants. NIF imaging and PDT with ICG-lactosome could be useful diagnostic and/or therapeutic strategies for HCC.
Highlights
Worldwide, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth and eighth most common malignancy in men and women, respectively, and more than 500,000 new cases are diagnosed each year [1,2]
Our results demonstrate that indocyanine green (ICG)-lactosome accumulated in xenograft tumors, and that photodynamic therapy (PDT) had antineoplastic effects on these malignant implants
We examined the effects of laser irradiation with low or high fluence (18 or 100 J/cm2, respectively) on cell viability in ICG-lactosome-treated HuH-7 cells
Summary
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth and eighth most common malignancy in men and women, respectively, and more than 500,000 new cases are diagnosed each year [1,2]. A variety of anticancer agents and operating procedures have been developed in recent years, they have proven insufficient to improve the overall prognosis. Sorafenib is an orally administered multi-kinase inhibitor that is used to treat patients with advanced HCC [4]; the therapeutic effects of sorafenib are limited. The long-term prognosis of HCC patients who are treated with curative intent is unsatisfactory, and the efficacies of available chemotherapeutic agents are limited [4,5,6]. Anticancer agents and operating procedures have been developed for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, but their prognosis remains poor. It is necessary to develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for HCC to improve its prognosis. We investigated the diagnostic and therapeutic efficacies of indocyanine green (ICG)-loaded lactosome for near-infrared fluorescence (NIF) imaging and photodynamic therapy (PDT) for HCC
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