A comparative study between conventional chemotherapy and photothermal activated nano-sized targeted drug delivery to solid tumor

Mohammad Kiani Shahvandi; Mohammad Souri; Shaghayegh Tavasoli; Farshad Moradi Kashkooli; Saptarshi Kar; M Soltani

doi:10.1016/j.compbiomed.2023.107574

A comparative study between conventional chemotherapy and photothermal activated nano-sized targeted drug delivery to solid tumor

Comput Biol Med. 2023 Oct 12:166:107574. doi: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2023.107574. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Mohammad Kiani Shahvandi¹, Mohammad Souri², Shaghayegh Tavasoli¹, Farshad Moradi Kashkooli¹, Saptarshi Kar³, M Soltani⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, K. N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.
² Department of NanoBiotechnology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
³ College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East, Kuwait.
⁴ Department of Mechanical Engineering, K. N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada; Centre for Biotechnology and Bioengineering (CBB), University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada; Department of Integrative Oncology, BC Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, Canada; Centre for Sustainable Business, International Business University, Toronto, Canada. Electronic address: msoltani@uwaterloo.ca.

PMID: 37839220
DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2023.107574

Abstract

Delivery of chemotherapeutic medicines to solid tumors is critical for optimal therapeutic success and minimal adverse effects. We mathematically developed a delivery method using thermosensitive nanocarriers activated by light irradiation. To assess its efficacy and identify critical events and parameters affecting therapeutic response, we compared this method to bolus and continuous infusions of doxorubicin for both single and multiple administrations. A hybrid sprouting angiogenesis approach generates a semi-realistic microvascular network to evaluate therapeutic drug distribution and microvascular heterogeneity. A pharmacodynamics model evaluates treatment success based on tumor survival cell percentage. The study found that whereas bolus injection boosted extracellular drug concentration levels by 90%, continuous infusion improved therapeutic response due to improved bioavailability. Cancer cell death increases by 6% with several injections compared to single injections due to prolonged chemotherapeutic medication exposure. However, responsive nanocarriers supply more than 2.1 times more drug than traditional chemotherapy in extracellular space, suppressing tumor development longer. Also, controlled drug release decreases systemic side effects substantial through diminishing the concentration of free drug in the circulation. The primary finding of this work highlights the significance of high bioavailability in treatment response. The results indicate that responsive nanocarriers contribute to increased bioavailability, leading to improved therapeutic benefits. By including drug delivery features in a semi-realistic model, this numerical study sought to improve drug-bio interaction comprehension. The model provides a good framework for understanding preclinical and clinical targeted oncology study outcomes.

Keywords: Angiogenesis; Bio-heat transfer; Computational modeling; Photothermal-activated nano drug delivery; Therapeutic response.