Radiosensitization and micro CT imaging of multifunctional gold nanoparticles in lung adenocarcinoma A549 cell: an in vivo animal study

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the radiosensitization effect and micro CT imaging of multifunctional gold nanoparticles in lung adenocarcinoma A549 tumor-bearing mouse models. Methods The tumor-bearing mice were injected with gold nanoparticles and irradiated with different energy levels of 160 kV and 6 MV X-ray. The tumor volume changes were measured. Intra-tumoral injection of gold nanoparticles was administered and micro CT scan was performed at different time points to observe the imaging and retention time of gold nanoparticles in the tumor tissues. Results The tumor volume did not significantly differ between the control and gold nanoparticles groups (P=0.941). The tumor volume in the 6 MV X-ray combined with gold nanoparticles group was slightly reduced compared with that in the 6 MV X-ray group with no statistical significance (P=0.730). The tumor volume in the 160 kV X-ray combined with gold nanoparticles group was significantly smaller than that in the 160 kV X-ray group (P=0.026). Micro CT scan demonstrated that gold nanoparticles could be deposited in the tumors for 30 d and yielded excellent imaging effect. No gold nanoparticles-induced toxicity was observed. Conclusions Multifunctional gold nanoparticles exert significant radiosensitization effect in the lung adenocarcinoma A549 transplanted tumors irradiated with 160 kV X-ray. Stable CT imaging of the gold nanoparticles-injected tumors can be used as a potential method for mapping and delineating the target area in tumor-guided radiotherapy. Key words: Multifunctional gold nanoparticle; Lung adenocarcinoma; Tumor-bearing mouse; Radiosensitization