Part II. Nanobubbles around plasmonic nanoparticles in terms of modern simulation modeling: what makes them kill the malignant cells?

Abstract

We have established numerically the physical pattern and conditions for formation of nanosized bubbles in aqueous medium around biocompatible plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) selectively bound to the membrane of the malignant cells by means of DNA-aptamers under the action of picosecond laser radiation. The results obtained are based on the finite volume method and hydrodynamic models underlying the ANSYS Fluent package with extended capabilities. We have found the main features and previously unknown dominant factors of the damage effect on the cell membrane at the moment of the bubble nucleation around the plasmonic NPs of different types taking into account the influence of the closely located membrane. Information on the kinetics of spatial distribution of pressure, temperature and the relative proportion of vapor in the ‘nanoparticle-membrane-medium’ system have been obtained. The attention is drawn to the advantages of using biocompatible, perfectly absorbing core–shell plasmonic NPs for anti-tumor therapy characterized by an increased mechanical effect on malignant cell membranes at lower laser radiation intensity and the spectral position of their plasmon resonance (λ = 700 nm) in the hemoglobin transparency range. This ensures penetration of laser radiation deep into tissues. The paper is provided with an extensive review of key publications and the state-of-art in this area.