Alginate hydrogel co-loaded with cisplatin and gold nanoparticles for computed tomography image-guided chemotherapy

Abstract

The biomedical applications of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have experienced rapid growth in recent years, due to their expected benefits in medical imaging and therapy. In this work, we report the development of a theranostic nanocomplex constructed from alginate hydrogel co-loaded with cisplatin and AuNPs (abbreviated as ACA) for simultaneous drug delivery and computed tomography imaging. CT26 cells derived from mouse colon adenocarcinoma were exposed to various concentrations of ACA nanocomplex (for 24 h) and the cytotoxicity was measured using MTT assay. Moreover, the cells treated with ACA nanocomplex were imaged in a computed tomography scanner and the contrast enhancement due to the presence of nanocomplex was assessed. The cytotoxicity results showed that ACA nanocomplex had a more potent chemotherapy efficacy than free cisplatin, so that ACA nanocomplex at the concentration of 5 µg/ml (per cisplatin) and 20 µg/ml of free cisplatin resulted in the same cytotoxicity (survival rate: 66%). The computed tomography imaging study revealed that ACA nanocomplex increased the brightness of computed tomography images, the computed tomography number value, and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). ACA nanocomplex can be presented as a computed tomography-traceable nanocarrier that allows to monitor the delivery of therapeutics by assessing their localized accumulation and in vivo biodistribution.

<p>Apatinib enhances chemosensitivity of gastric cancer to paclitaxel and 5-fluorouracil</p>

“…However, many patients are initially diagnosed incurable due to locally advanced or metastatic GC; these patients are not considered surgical candidates and chemotherapy is the standard of care, indicating a very poor outcome. 2 Combination of chemotherapy with target medicines or nanoparticles can enhance the cellular uptake of drug payload and reduce the side effects 3,4…”

Investigation of the Dose-Enhancement Effects of Spherical and Rod-Shaped Gold Nanoparticles on the HeLa Cell Line

“…Gold nanoparticles have unique properties, such as low toxicity, biocompatibility, chemical stability, ease of synthesis and modification, selective accumulation in tumors, and acceptable physicochemical parameters [3,8]. The mechanism by which gold nanoparticles exert their radiosensitivity through kilovoltage radiation involves photoelectric absorption [9]. On the other hand, megavoltage X-rays have been used clinically in the radiotherapy of cancer patients.…”

“…Gold nanoparticles are synthesized in different shapes and sizes, with different coatings and functions, depending on their application [18,19]. Different shapes of gold, such as nanospheres, nanorods, nanoshells, nanocages, and nanocubes, have been investigated in therapeutic and imaging fields [7,9,20,21]. Gold nanospheres (AuNPs) are prepared from 1 nm to less than 100 nm by reducing chloroauric acid, which is beneficial for imaging and radiation dose enhancement [22][23][24][25][26][27].…”

Enhancement of chemoradiation by co‐incorporation of gold nanoparticles and cisplatin into alginate hydrogel

“…The co‐incorporation of cisplatin and AuNPs within alginate hydrogel can improve their bioavailability and biocompatibility, while affording the opportunity for enhancement of chemoradiation due to synergistic interaction of cisplatin, AuNPs, and X‐ray. In the previous efforts, we tested the therapeutic effect of this nanocomplex on U87‐MG human glioblastoma cancer cells and CT26 mouse colon adenocarcinoma cells in vitro . In this study, we aim to assess the in vivo antitumor efficiency of this nanocomplex against CT26 colon adenocarcinoma tumor in the presence of 6 MV X‐ray.…”