Targeted photodynamic therapy using alloyed nanoparticle-conjugated 5-aminolevulinic acid for breast cancer
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Montaseri, Hanieh
Kruger, Cherie Ann
Abrahamse, Heidi
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been investigated as an effective, non-invasive, and alternative tumor-ablative therapy that uses photosensitizers (PSs) and safe irradiation light in the presence of oxygen to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) to kill malignant cancer cells. However, the off-target activation of the PSs can hinder effective PDT. Therefore, an advanced drug delivery system is required to selectively deliver the PS to the therapeutic region only and reduce off-target side effects in cancer treatment. The integration of laser-initiated PDT with nanotechnology has provided new opportunities in cancer therapy. In this study, plasmonic bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared for the targeted PDT (TPDT) of in vitro cultured MCF-7 breast cancer cells. The NPs were functionalized with PEG through Au–thiol linkage to enhance their biocompatibility and subsequently attached to the PS precursor 5-aminolevulinic acid via electrostatic interactions. In order to enhance specific targeting, anti-HER-2 antibodies (Ab) were decorated onto the surface of the nanoconjugate (NC) to fabricate a 5-ALA/Au–Ag-PEG-Ab NC. In vitro studies showed that the synthesized NC can enter MCF-7 cells and localize in the cytoplasm to metabolize 5-ALA to protoporphyrin IX (PpIX). Upon light irradiation, PpIX can efficiently produce ROS for the PDT treatment of MCF-7. Cellular viability studies showed a decrease from 49.8% ± 5.6 ** to 13.8% ± 2.0 *** for free 5-ALA versus the NC, respectively, under equivalent concentrations of the PS (0.5 mM, IC50). These results suggest that the active targeted NC platform has an improved PDT effect on MCF-7 breast cancer cells.
Date Issued
2021-08-31
Date Acceptance
2021-08-27
Citation
Pharmaceutics, 2021, 13 (9), pp.1-17
ISSN
1999-4923
Publisher
MDPI AG
Start Page
1
End Page
17
Journal / Book Title
Pharmaceutics
Volume
13
Issue
9
Copyright Statement
© 2021 by the authors.
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article
distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article
distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Identifier
https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/13/9/1375
Subjects
1115 Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2021-08-31