Purpose: To develop a hydrogel film containing bovine serum albumin (BSA)-coated silver nanoparticles (BSA/AgNP) and evaluate its applicability for topical photothermal treatment (PTT) of skin cancer.
Methods: BSA/AgNP-loaded hydrogel films were prepared and their swelling, bioadhesive, mechanical, and photothermal properties were characterized in vitro and in vivo.
Results: The synthesized BSA/AgNP exhibited a narrow size distribution with good size stability and, notably, possessed great photothermal activity that could stably maintain through repetitive laser irradiation. The BSA/AgNP-loaded hydrogel films showed favorable swelling, bioadhesive, tensile, and photothermal properties. Based on these results, when tested the anti-cancer effects in B16F10 s.c. tumor-bearing mice, the PTT with the topical treatment of BSA/AgNP-loaded hydrogel films could significantly inhibit the tumor growth by a single treatment with no apparent toxicity.
Conclusions: Overall, the results of this study demonstrated that the BSA/AgNP-loaded hydrogel films may serve as an effective but safe topical PTT agent for the treatment of skin cancer.
Keywords: bovine serum albumin; cancer; hydrogel; photothermal therapy; silver nanoparticle.