Recent advances in functional nanostructures as cancer photothermal therapy

Abstract

Being a non-invasive and relatively safe technique, photothermal therapy has attracted a lot of interest in the cancer treatment field. Recently, nanostructure technology has entered the forefront of cancer therapy owing to its ability to absorb near-infrared radiation as well as efficient light to heat conversion. In this study, key nanostructures for cancer therapy including gold nanoparticles, magnetite iron oxide nanoparticles, organic nanomaterials, and novel two-dimensional nanoagents such as MXenes are discussed. Furthermore, we briefly discuss the characteristics of the nanostructures of these photothermal nanomaterial agents, while focusing on how nanostructures hold potential as cancer therapies. Finally, this review offers promising insight into new cancer therapy approaches, particularly in vivo and in vitro cancer treatments.

IR820‐loaded PLGA nanoparticles for photothermal therapy of triple‐negative breast cancer

“…1,2 This lack of expression makes TNBC unsusceptible to current targeted or hormonal therapies and results in high recurrence and mortality rates. 10,13 The use of NIR light is important for PTT because NIR light can penetrate deeper into tissue than visible wavelengths since it is minimally absorbed by the major components of tissue it will encounter prior to reaching the diseased site. [8][9][10] In NP-mediated PTT, NPs delivered systemically accumulate in tumors through their leaky vasculature, 11,12 and are then irradiated with NIR light, which causes them to produce heat sufficient to induce tumor cell death.…”

“…[8][9][10] In NP-mediated PTT, NPs delivered systemically accumulate in tumors through their leaky vasculature, 11,12 and are then irradiated with NIR light, which causes them to produce heat sufficient to induce tumor cell death. 10,13 The use of NIR light is important for PTT because NIR light can penetrate deeper into tissue than visible wavelengths since it is minimally absorbed by the major components of tissue it will encounter prior to reaching the diseased site. 9,10,[14][15][16] The key advantages of PTT are that it is simple to perform, it enables high precision since heat is generated only where NPs and light are combined, and it is less susceptible to cellular resistance because it induces cell death through physical mechanisms such as membrane rupture and protein denaturation.…”

Assembly of gold nanoparticles using turnip yellow mosaic virus as an in-solution SERS sensor

“…In addition to the gold core, a protective coating that surrounds the core can also be modi-ed to control particle stability, solubility and interaction with the biological environment. 17 Because of their low toxicity, AuNP have been exploited for a wide variety of biomedical applications, 18,19 including plasmonic photothermal therapy, 20 gene and drug delivery, 21 two photon bioimaging, 22 cancer radiotherapy 17 and plasmonic biosensing. 23 Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) is a surface sensitive technique that involves inelastic scattering of incident laser energy on a surface molecule, resulting in vibrational spectral peaks of the molecule.…”

Evaluating Nanoshells and a Potent Biladiene Photosensitizer for Dual Photothermal and Photodynamic Therapy of Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells

“…In this study, we evaluated a powerful combination of photothermal and photodynamic therapies (PTT and PDT, respectively) to irreversibly kill cancer cells by overcoming the limitations of each therapy alone. In PTT, nanoparticles (NPs) embedded within tumors produce heat upon application of laser light tuned to their peak plasmon resonance wavelength [ 3 , 8 ]. The heat generated is sufficient to cause tumor cell death in the areas immediately surrounding the activated NPs.…”