Radiation dose enhancement of gadolinium-based AGuIX nanoparticles on HeLa cells

Abstract

Radiation dose enhancement of high-Z nanoparticles is an active area of research in cancer therapeutics. When kV and MV energy photon beams interact with high-Z nanoparticles in a tumor, the release of secondary electrons can injure tumor cells, leading to a higher treatment efficacy than radiation alone. We present a study that characterizes the radiation dose enhancing effects of gadolinium-based AGuIX nanoparticles on HeLa cells. Our in vitro clonogenic survival assays showed an average dose enhancement of 1.54× for 220 kVp radiation and 1.15× for 6 MV radiation. The sensitivity enhancement ratio at 4Gy (SER4Gy) was 1.54 for 220 kVp and 1.28 for 6 MV, indicating that these nanoparticles may be useful for clinical radiation therapy. From the Clinical EditorThis study characterized the radiation dose enhancing effects of gadolinium-based AGuIX nanoparticles on HeLa cells, showing clear effects at 220kV as well as 6MV, suggesting that after additional studies, these nanoparticles may be beneficial in human radiation therapy.