Abstract
Many tumor-targeted strategies have been used worldwide to limit the side effects and improve the effectiveness of therapies, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy (RT), etc. Biophotonic therapy modalities comprise very promising alternative techniques for cancer treatment with minimal invasiveness and side-effects. These modalities use light e.g., laser irradiation in an extracorporeal or intravenous mode to activate photosensitizer agents with selectivity in the target tissue. Photothermal therapy (PTT) is a minimally invasive technique for cancer treatment which uses laser-activated photoabsorbers to convert photon energy into heat sufficient to induce cells destruction via apoptosis, necroptosis and/or necrosis. During the last decade, PTT has attracted an increased interest since the therapy can be combined with customized functionalized nanoparticles (NPs). Recent advances in nanotechnology have given rise to generation of various types of NPs, like gold NPs (AuNPs), designed to act both as radiosensitizers and photothermal sensitizing agents due to their unique optical and electrical properties i.e., functioning in dual mode. Functionalized AuNPS can be employed in combination with non-ionizing and ionizing radiation to significantly improve the efficacy of cancer treatment while at the same time sparing normal tissues. Here, we first provide an overview of the use of NPs for cancer therapy. Then we review many recent advances on the use of gold NPs in PTT, RT and PTT/RT based on different types of AuNPs, irradiation conditions and protocols. We refer to the interaction mechanisms of AuNPs with cancer cells via the effects of non-ionizing and ionizing radiations and we provide recent existing experimental data as a baseline for the design of optimized protocols in PTT, RT and PTT/RT combined treatment.
Highlights
With the rapid development of nanotechnology, there has been a revolutionary growth in proposals of smart nanosystems for use in cancer imaging, targeted administration of drugs and post-therapeutical monitoring of cancer regression in oncology
The energy of the X-rays is important, since the photoelectric effect is dominant at lower energies and prevails until the photon energy reaches a medium energy with a cross section varying with Z4 or Z5, depending on the target material, and is enhanced by an increased absorption by electron shells (K, L, M, etc.) at low energies [4]
A number of research projects have been carried out using different types of AuNP: nanospheres, nanoshells, nanocages and nanorods to overcome the limitations for targeted cancer therapy by photothermal treatment [30,31]
Summary
With the rapid development of nanotechnology, there has been a revolutionary growth in proposals of smart nanosystems for use in cancer imaging, targeted administration of drugs and post-therapeutical monitoring of cancer regression in oncology. The energy of the X-rays is important, since the photoelectric effect is dominant at lower energies and prevails until the photon energy reaches a medium energy (e.g., around 500 keV for Au) with a cross section varying with Z4 or Z5 , depending on the target material, and is enhanced by an increased absorption by electron shells (K, L, M, etc.) at low energies [4]. A fast developing research field is to combine laser based photothermal therapy with conventional ionizing radiation therapy using NPs. As we mentioned above, besides their photothermal properties, NPs can act as radiosensitizers in RT providing “dose enhancement”, increased cellular uptake efficiency, selectivity and localization in tumor cells and tissues. Application of Interaction of AuNPs with Non-Ionizing Radiation (Non-IR) in Cancer Therapy
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