1
|
Costa E, Ferreira-Gonçalves T, Cardoso M, Coelho JMP, Gaspar MM, Faísca P, Ascensão L, Cabrita AS, Reis CP, Figueiredo IV. A Step Forward in Breast Cancer Research: From a Natural-Like Experimental Model to a Preliminary Photothermal Approach. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E9681. [PMID: 33353068 PMCID: PMC7765974 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21249681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed malignancies and common causes of cancer death in women. Recent studies suggest that environmental exposures to certain chemicals, such as 7,12-Dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA), a chemical present in tobacco, may increase the risk of developing breast cancer later in life. The first-line treatments for breast cancer (surgery, chemotherapy or a combination of both) are generally invasive and frequently associated with severe side effects and high comorbidity. Consequently, novel approaches are strongly required to find more natural-like experimental models that better reflect the tumors' etiology, physiopathology and response to treatments, as well as to find more targeted, efficient and minimally invasive treatments. This study proposes the development and an in deep biological characterization of an experimental model using DMBA-tumor-induction in Sprague-Dawley female rats. Moreover, a photothermal therapy approach using a near-infrared laser coupled with gold nanoparticles was preliminarily assessed. The gold nanoparticles were functionalized with Epidermal Growth Factor, and their physicochemical properties and in vitro effects were characterized. DMBA proved to be a very good and selective inductor of breast cancer, with 100% incidence and inducing an average of 4.7 tumors per animal. Epigenetic analysis showed that tumors classified with worst prognosis were hypomethylated. The tumor-induced rats were then subjected to a preliminary treatment using functionalized gold nanoparticles and its activation by laser (650-900 nm). The treatment outcomes presented very promising alterations in terms of tumor histology, confirming the presence of necrosis in most of the cases. Although this study revealed encouraging results as a breast cancer therapy, it is important to define tumor eligibility and specific efficiency criteria to further assess its application in breast cancer treatment on other species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Costa
- Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Care Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal; (E.C.); (I.V.F.)
- Institute of Experimental Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal; (M.C.); (A.S.C.)
- iMed.ULisboa– Research Institute for Medicines, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal; (T.F.-G.); (M.M.G.)
- Vasco da Gama Research Group (CIVG), Vasco da Gama University School (EUVG), 3020-210 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Tânia Ferreira-Gonçalves
- iMed.ULisboa– Research Institute for Medicines, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal; (T.F.-G.); (M.M.G.)
| | - Miguel Cardoso
- Institute of Experimental Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal; (M.C.); (A.S.C.)
- Dentistry Area, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
- Biophysics Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
- Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - João M. P. Coelho
- Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal;
| | - Maria Manuela Gaspar
- iMed.ULisboa– Research Institute for Medicines, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal; (T.F.-G.); (M.M.G.)
| | - Pedro Faísca
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (ULHT)/IGC, 1749-024 Lisboa, Portugal;
| | - Lia Ascensão
- Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar (CESAM), Faculdade de Ciências, Campo Grande, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal;
| | - António S. Cabrita
- Institute of Experimental Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal; (M.C.); (A.S.C.)
| | - Catarina Pinto Reis
- iMed.ULisboa– Research Institute for Medicines, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal; (T.F.-G.); (M.M.G.)
- Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal;
| | - Isabel V. Figueiredo
- Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Care Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal; (E.C.); (I.V.F.)
- Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Lopes J, Coelho JMP, Vieira PMC, Viana AS, Gaspar MM, Reis C. Preliminary Assays towards Melanoma Cells Using Phototherapy with Gold-Based Nanomaterials. Nanomaterials (Basel) 2020; 10:E1536. [PMID: 32764377 DOI: 10.3390/nano10081536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Revised: 08/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Cancer like melanoma is a complex disease, for which standard therapies have significant adverse side effects that in most cases are ineffective and highly unspecific. Thus, a new paradigm has come with the need of achieving alternative (less invasive) and effective therapies. In this work, biocompatible gold nanoparticles (GNPs) coated with hyaluronic acid and oleic acid were prepared and characterized in terms of size, morphology and cytotoxicity in the presence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and two cell lines, the keratinocytes (healthy skin cells, HaCat) and the melanoma cells (B16F10). Results showed that these GNPs absorb within the near-infrared region (750–1400 nm), in the optical therapeutic window (from 650 to 1300 nm), in contrast to other commercial gold nanoparticles, which enables light to penetrate into deep skin layers. A laser emitting in this region was applied and its effect also analyzed. The coated GNPs showed a spherical morphology with a mean size of 297 nm without cytotoxic effects towards yeast and tested cell lines. Nevertheless, after laser irradiation, a reduction of 20% in B16F10 cell line viability was observed. In summary, this work appears to be a promising strategy for the treatment of non-metastatic melanoma or other superficial tumors.
Collapse
|
3
|
Manuchehrabadi N, Zhu L. Development of a computational simulation tool to design a protocol for treating prostate tumours using transurethral laser photothermal therapy. Int J Hyperthermia 2014; 30:349-61. [PMID: 25244058 DOI: 10.3109/02656736.2014.948497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to design laser treatment protocols to induce sufficient thermal damage to a tumour embedded in a prostate model, while protecting the surrounding healthy tissue. METHODS A computational Monte Carlo simulation algorithm of light transport in a spherical prostatic tumour containing gold nanorods was developed to determine laser energy deposition. The laser energy absorption was then used to simulate temperature elevations in the tumour embedded in an elliptical human prostate model. The Arrhenius integral was coupled with the heat transfer model to identify heating protocols to induce 100% damage to the tumour, while resulting in less than 5% damage to the surrounding sensitive prostatic tissue. RESULTS Heating time to achieve 100% damage to the tumour was identified to be approximately 630 s when using a laser irradiance of 7 W/cm2 incident on the prostatic urethral surface. Parametric studies were conducted to show how the local blood perfusion rate and urethral surface cooling affect the heating time to achieve the same thermal dosage. The heating time was shorter when cooling at the urethra was not applied and/or with heat-induced vasculature damage. The identified treatment protocols were acceptable since the calculated percentages of the damaged healthy tissue volume to the healthy prostatic volume were approximately 2%, less than the threshold of 5%. The approach and results from this study can be used to design individualised treatment protocols for patients suffering from prostatic cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Navid Manuchehrabadi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland Baltimore County , Baltimore, Maryland , USA
| | | |
Collapse
|