Porphyrin conjugated SiC/SiOx nanowires for X-ray-excited photodynamic therapy

Sci Rep. 2015 Jan 5:5:7606. doi: 10.1038/srep07606.

Abstract

The development of innovative nanosystems opens new perspectives for multidisciplinary applications at the frontier between materials science and nanomedicine. Here we present a novel hybrid nanosystem based on cytocompatible inorganic SiC/SiOx core/shell nanowires conjugated via click-chemistry procedures with an organic photosensitizer, a tetracarboxyphenyl porphyrin derivative. We show that this nanosystem is an efficient source of singlet oxygen for cell oxidative stress when irradiated with 6 MV X-Rays at low doses (0.4-2 Gy). The in-vitro clonogenic survival assay on lung adenocarcinoma cells shows that 12 days after irradiation at a dose of 2 Gy, the cell population is reduced by about 75% with respect to control cells. These results demonstrate that our approach is very efficient to enhance radiation therapy effects for cancer treatments.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Carbon Compounds, Inorganic / chemistry
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Cell Survival / radiation effects
  • Gamma Rays
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Nanowires / chemistry*
  • Nanowires / ultrastructure
  • Photochemotherapy
  • Photosensitizing Agents / chemistry*
  • Photosensitizing Agents / therapeutic use
  • Photosensitizing Agents / toxicity
  • Porphyrins / chemistry*
  • Silicon Compounds / chemistry
  • Silicon Dioxide / chemistry

Substances

  • Carbon Compounds, Inorganic
  • Photosensitizing Agents
  • Porphyrins
  • Silicon Compounds
  • Silicon Dioxide
  • silicon carbide