Nanomaterials for boron and gadolinium neutron capture therapy for cancer treatment

Abstract

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death; with it may different types, it kills thousands of people every day. Various types of treatment have been developed to treat and cure cancer. Nanotechnology has emerged as one of the most fruitful areas of science in cancer treatment and the nanomaterials are considered as a medical boon for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancer. The major approaches of nanotechnology in tumor treatment include the development of nanoparticles with less or no tissue-resistance, their biocompatibility, ability as nanocarriers for drug delivery, and enhanced energy deposition in tissue with or without the external influence of microwave, light, magnet, etc. This review presents some of the recent developments in the use of nanoparticles as adjuncts to boron and gadolinium containing compounds in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) and gadolinium neutron capture therapy (GdNCT) along with the latest developments in the area of boron nanotubes (BNTs), gadolinium oxide, boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) and the boron agent itself.

Development history of boron delivery agents

“…Sun等 [148] 开发了一种新型硼携带剂, 将靶向CD133的 [154,155] . 在纳米医学的研究基础 上, 以纳米材料为载体的含硼纳米药物也迅速引起了 科研工作者们极大的研究热情, 各种类型的含硼纳米 药物被合成以评估其成为新型高效硼携带剂的潜 力 [5,156,157] . 162~164] , 前文中具有出色肿瘤特 异性的EGF [179,180] 、叶酸 [181,182] 和西妥昔单抗 [183] 外肿瘤, 如乳腺癌 [189,190] ; 通过CED瘤内给药或短暂打 开血脑屏障, 也可适用于颅内肿瘤.…”

Insights into the Use of Gadolinium and Gadolinium/Boron-Based Agents in Imaging-Guided Neutron Capture Therapy Applications

“…Moreover, nanoparticles, with a diameter ranging from 50-100 nm can be loaded with a large amount of Gd atoms to be delivered specifically into tumors thus avoiding intratumor injection endowed with many disadvantages. In fact, the most appropriate applications [40][41] and they can be exploited without any modification for Gd-NCT therapeutic protocols [42]. Table 1 reports many examples found in the literature of nanocarriers designed for delivering Gd-based NCT agents to tumor tissues to achieve effective treatment based on precise imaging-guided thermal neutron irradiation.…”

Carborane-Containing Hydroxamate MMP Ligands for the Treatment of Tumors Using Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT): Efficacy without Tumor Cell Entry

“…Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a binary radiotherapeutic modality for cancer treatment, in which delivery agents containing 10 B atoms are ideally concentrated in tumor cells and then irradiated with low-energy [ 1 ] (0.025 eV) thermal neutrons or epithermal neutrons (10,000 eV), which become thermalized as they penetrate tissues [ 2 ]. Once inside the tumor cell, the 10 B nucleus adsorbs a neutron to form an excited state 11 B isotope, which undergoes decay via nuclear fission [ 3 ].…”