Nanodiamonds and their potential applications in breast cancer therapy: a narrative review

Nanodiamonds: Next generation nano-theranostics for cancer therapy

Cancer remains a leading global cause of mortality, demanding early diagnosis and effective treatment. Traditional therapeutic methods often fall short due to their need for more specificity and systemic toxicity. In this challenging landscape, nanodiamonds (ND) emerge as a potential solution, mitigating the limitations of conventional approaches. ND are tiny carbon particles that mimic traditional diamonds chemical stability and hardness and harness nanomaterials' advantages. ND stands out for the unique properties that make them promising nanotheranostics candidates, combining therapeutic and imaging capabilities in one platform. Many of these applications depend on the design of the particle's surface, as the surface's role is crucial in transporting bioactive molecules, preventing aggregation, and building composite materials. This review delves into ND's distinctive features, structural and optical characteristics, and their profound relevance in advancing cancer diagnosis and treatment methods. The report delves into how these exceptional ND properties drive the development of state-of-the-art techniques for precise tumor targeting, boosting the effectiveness of chemotherapy as a chemosensitizer, harnessing immunotherapy strategies, facilitating precision medicine, and creating localized microfilm devices for targeted therapies.

Effects of Metallic and Carbon-Based Nanomaterials on Human Pancreatic Cancer Cell Lines AsPC-1 and BxPC-3

Pancreatic cancer, due to its asymptomatic development and drug-resistance, is difficult to cure. As many metallic and carbon-based nanomaterials have shown anticancer properties, we decided to investigate their potential use as anticancer agents against human pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The objective of the study was to evaluate the toxic properties of the following nanomaterials: silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), graphene oxide (GO), diamond (ND), and fullerenol (C₆₀(OH)₄₀) against the cell lines BxPC-3, AsPC-1, HFFF-2, and HS-5. The potential cytotoxic properties were evaluated by the assessment of the cell morphology, cell viability, and cell membrane damage. The cancer cell responses to GO and ND were analysed by determination of changes in the levels of 40 different pro-inflammatory proteins. Our studies revealed that the highest cytotoxicity was obtained after the ND treatment. Moreover, BxPC-3 cells were more sensitive to ND than AsPC-1 cells due to the ND-induced ROS production. Furthermore, in both of the cancer cell lines, ND caused an increased level of IL-8 and a decreased level of TIMP-2, whereas GO caused only decreased levels of TIMP-2 and ICAM-1 proteins. This work provides important data on the toxicity of various nanoparticles against pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell lines.