In vivo efficacy of verteporfin loaded gold nanorods for combined photothermal/photodynamic colon cancer therapy

Synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy using gold nanorods supported on thiol-functionalized mesoporous silica for lung cancer treatment

Cancer therapy necessitates the development of novel and effective treatment modalities to combat the complexity of this disease. In this project, we propose a synergistic approach by combining chemo-photothermal treatment using gold nanorods (AuNRs) supported on thiol-functionalized mesoporous silica, offering a promising solution for enhanced lung cancer therapy. To begin, mesoporous MCM-41 was synthesized using a surfactant-templated sol-gel method, chosen for its desirable porous structure, excellent biocompatibility, and non-toxic properties. Further, thiol-functionalized MCM-41 was achieved through a simple grafting process, enabling the subsequent synthesis of AuNRs supported on thiol-functionalized MCM-41 (AuNR@S-MCM-41) via a gold-thiol interaction. The nanocomposite was then loaded with the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX), resulting in AuNR@S-MCM-41-DOX. Remarkably, the nanocomposite exhibited pH/NIR dual-responsive drug release behaviors, facilitating targeted drug delivery. In addition, it demonstrated exceptional biocompatibility and efficient internalization into A549 lung cancer cells. Notably, the combined photothermal-chemo therapy by AuNR@S-MCM-41-DOX exhibited superior efficacy in killing cancer cells compared to single chemo- or photothermal therapies. This study showcases the potential of the AuNR@S-MCM-41-DOX nanocomposite as a promising candidate for combined chemo-photothermal therapy in lung cancer treatment. The innovative integration of gold nanorods, thiol-functionalized mesoporous silica, and pH/NIR dual-responsive drug release provides a comprehensive and effective therapeutic approach for improved outcomes in lung cancer therapy. Future advancements based on this strategy hold promise for addressing the challenges posed by cancer and transforming patient care.

The energetic and physical concept of gold nanorod-dependent fluorescence in cancer treatment and development of new photonic compounds|review

The optical features of gold nanorods (GNR) may be precisely controlled by manipulating their size, shape, and aspect ratio. This review explores the impact of these parameters on the optical tuning of (GNR). By altering the experimental conditions, like the addition of silver ions during the seed-mediated growth process, the aspect ratio of (GNR) may be regulated. The shape is trans from spherical to rod-like structures resulting in noticeable changes in the nanoparticles surface plasmons resonance (SPR) bands. The longitudinal SPR band, associated with electron oscillations along the long axis, exhibits a pronounced red shift into the (NIR) region as the aspect ratio increases. In contrast, the transverse SPR band remains relate unchanged. Using computational methods like the discrete dipole approximation (DDA) allows for analyzing absorption, scattering, and total extinction features of gold (G) nanoparticles. Studies have shown that increasing the aspect ratio enhances the scattering efficiency, indicating a higher scattering quantum yield (QY). These findings highlight the importance of size, shape, and aspect ratio in controlling the optical features of (GNR) providing valuable insights for various uses in nanophotonics and plasmonic-dependent fluorescence in cancer treatment and developing new photonic compound NRs.

Recent developments in photodynamic therapy and its application against multidrug resistant cancers

Recently, photodynamic therapy (PDT) has received a lot of attention for its potential use in cancer treatment. It enables the therapy of a multifocal disease with the least amount of tissue damage. The most widely used prodrug is 5-aminolevulinic acid, which undergoes heme pathway conversion to protoporphyrin IX, which acts as a photosensitizer (PS). Additionally, hematoporphyrin, bacteriochlorin, and phthalocyanine are also studied for their therapeutic potential in cancer. Unfortunately, not every patient who receives PDT experiences a full recovery. Resistance to different anticancer treatments is commonly observed. A few of the resistance mechanisms by which cancer cells escape therapeutics are genetic factors, drug-drug interactions, impaired DNA repair pathways, mutations related to inhibition of apoptosis, epigenetic pathways, etc. Recently, much research has been conducted to develop a new generation of PS based on nanomaterials that could be used to overcome cancer cells' multidrug resistance (MDR). Various metal-based, polymeric, lipidic nanoparticles (NPs), dendrimers, etc, have been utilized in the PDT application against cancer. This article discusses the detailed mechanism by which cancer cells evolve towards MDR as well as recent advances in PDT-based NPs for use against multidrug-resistant cancers.

NIR absorptive croconic acid/quercetin/CaO2 nanoplatform for tumor calcium overload therapy combined mild photothermal therapy

With excellent biocompatibility, stable chemical and optical properties, small organic molecules-based agents have always been a research hotspot in cancer photothermal therapy (PTT). In this work, a novel croconic acid-based molecule (CR) was designed and synthesized as an ideal photothermal agent (PTA), which showed abundant near-infrared (NIR) light absorption, high photothermal conversion ability, and excellent photothermal stability. By loading CR and quercetin (Qu) in CaO₂, and coated with DSPE-PEG₂₀₀₀, a multifunctional theranostic nanoparticle (CCQ) was successfully prepared for calcium overloading mitochondrial metabolism inhibition synergetic mild PTT. Upon entering tumor microenvironment, CCQ can produce abundant H₂O₂ and a large amount of calcium ions, which lead to the imbalance of calcium concentration in the internal environment of tumor cells and induced mitochondrial apoptosis. With the existence of Qu, CCQ can effectively inhibit the expression of heat shock proteins (Hsp) during the PTT process, which weaken the heat resistance of tumors, ablate tumors at lower temperature (~45 °C), and reduce the damage to normal tissues. Guided by photoacoustic imaging (PAI), CCQ showed excellent multimodal therapeutic effect of tumors. This study provided a novel CR organic molecule-based theranostic nanoplatform that can be used to treat tumors via calcium overload therapy synergetic PTT at safe temperatures, which has promising potential for the future clinical cancer treatment.

Ferritin-Coated SPIONs as New Cancer Cell Targeted Magnetic Nanocarrier

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) may act as an excellent theragnostic tool if properly coated and stabilized in a biological environment, even more, if they have targeting properties towards a specific cellular target. Humanized Archaeoglobus fulgidus Ferritin (HumAfFt) is an engineered ferritin characterized by the peculiar salt-triggered assembly-disassembly of the hyperthermophile Archaeoglobus fulgidus ferritin and is successfully endowed with the human H homopolymer recognition sequence by the transferrin receptor (TfR1 or CD71), overexpressed in many cancer cells in response to the increased demand of iron. For this reason, HumAfFt was successfully used in this study as a coating material for 10 nm SPIONs, in order to produce a new magnetic nanocarrier able to discriminate cancer cells from normal cells and maintain the potential theragnostic properties of SPIONs. HumAfFt-SPIONs were exhaustively characterized in terms of size, morphology, composition, and cytotoxicity. The preferential uptake capacity of cancer cells toward HumAfFt-SPIONs was demonstrated in vitro on human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7) versus normal human dermal fibroblast (NHDF) cell lines.

New Frontiers in Colorectal Cancer Treatment Combining Nanotechnology with Photo- and Radiotherapy

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide. Despite recent advances in the treatment of this pathology, which include a personalized approach using radio- and chemotherapies in combination with advanced surgical techniques, it is imperative to enhance the performance of these treatments and decrease their detrimental side effects on patients' health. Nanomedicine is likely the pathway towards solving this challenge by enhancing both the therapeutic and diagnostic capabilities. In particular, plasmonic nanoparticles show remarkable potential due to their dual therapeutic functionalities as photothermal therapy agents and as radiosensitizers in radiotherapy. Their dual functionality, high biocompatibility, easy functionalization, and targeting capabilities make them potential agents for inducing efficient cancer cell death with minimal side effects. This review aims to identify the main challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer. The heterogeneous nature of this cancer is also discussed from a single-cell point of view. The most relevant works in photo- and radiotherapy using nanotechnology-based therapies for colorectal cancer are addressed, ranging from in vitro studies (2D and 3D cell cultures) to in vivo studies and clinical trials. Although the results using nanoparticles as a photo- and radiosensitizers in photo- and radiotherapy are promising, preliminary studies showed that the possibility of combining both therapies must be explored to improve the treatment efficiency.

Nanostructures as Photothermal Agents in Tumor Treatment

Traditional methods of tumor treatment such as surgical resection, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy have certain limitations, and their treatment effects are not always satisfactory. As a new tumor treatment method, photothermal therapy based on nanostructures has attracted the attention of researchers due to its characteristics of minimally invasive, low side effects, and inhibition of cancer metastasis. In recent years, there has been a variety of inorganic or organic nanostructures used in the field of photothermal tumor treatment, and they have shown great application prospects. In this paper, the advantages and disadvantages of a variety of nanomaterials/nanostructures as photothermal agents (PTAs) for photothermal therapy as well as their research progress are reviewed. For the sake of clarity, the recently reported nanomaterials/nanostructures for photothermal therapy of tumor are classified into five main categories, i.e., carbon nanostructures, noble metal nanostructures, transition metal sulfides, organic polymer, and other nanostructures. In addition, future perspectives or challenges in the related field are discussed.