Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Labeled with Plasmonic Gold Nanostars for Cellular Tracking and Photothermal Cancer Cell Ablation

Abstract

Background Nanoparticles show promise within the field of cancer therapeutics. Among the nanoparticle constructs, gold nanostars (GNSs) are unique nanoplatforms that can be imaged in real-time and transform light energy into heat to ablate cells. However, targeted delivery of GNSs to tumors remains a challenge. Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) migrate towards tumor niches in response to chemokines. The ability of ASCs to migrate and integrate into tumors makes them ideal vehicles for the targeted delivery of cancer nanotherapeutics. Methods To test the labeling efficiency of GNSs, undifferentiated ASCs were incubated with GNSs and a commercially available nanoparticle (Qtracker), then imaged using two-photon photoluminescence (TPL) microscopy. The effects of GNSs on cell phenotype, proliferation, and viability was assessed with flow cytometry, MTT metabolic assay, and trypan blue respectively. Tri-lineage differentiation of GNS-ASCs was induced with the appropriate media. For cellular ablation, photothermolysis was performed on ASCs cultured alone or in co-culture with SKBR3 cancer cells. Results Efficient uptake of GNSs occurred in ASCs, with persistence of the luminescent signal over 4-days. Labeling efficiency and signal quality was greater than Qtracker. GNSs did not affect cell phenotype, viability, or proliferation, and exhibited stronger luminescence than Qtracker throughout differentiation. Zones of complete ablation surrounding the GNS-ASCs were observed following photothermolysis in both monoculture and co-culture models. Conclusions These studies show that GNSs effectively label ASCs without altering cell phenotype. Once labeled, photoactivation of GNS-ASCs ablates neighboring cancer cells, demonstrating the potential of ASCs as a vehicle for the delivery of site-specific cancer therapy.

Photostability enhancement of silica-coated gold nanostars for photoacoustic imaging guided photothermal therapy

“…Moreover, the surface of the silica shells can be easily functionalized to promote the accumulation of GNSs in tumors, thereby increasing the efficiency of PTT and improving the performance of PAI. In addition to this study, several other studies have also investigated the combination of GNSs with stem cells for diagnosing and treating tumors [ 42 , 43 ]. These studies reveal that stem cells can promote the accumulation and dispersion of GNSs in tumors through the tumor-homing effect.…”

Stammzellen in der Regenerativen Medizin – Translationale Hürden und Möglichkeiten zur Überwindung

“…Aufgrund der regenerativen Mechanismen liegt es nahe, dass MSCs potentiell auch zum Wiederauftreten von Brustkrebs führen könnten [91,92] [102].…”

Photothermal ablation of inflammatory breast cancer tumor emboli using plasmonic gold nanostars

“…12 Noble metal nanoparticles are quite useful for cellular tracking owing to their two-TPL cross-sections. 13 TPL involves the absorption of photons and emission from the recombination of excited electrons in the sp conduction band with d band holes.…”