Perfluorocarbon nanoparticles enhance reactive oxygen levels and tumour growth inhibition in photodynamic therapy

By Yuhao Cheng, Hao Cheng, Chenxiao Jiang, X. Qiu, Kaikai Wang, Wei Huan, A. Yuan, Jinhui Wu, Yiqiao Hu. Nature Communications, 2015

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Photodynamic therapy (PDT) kills cancer cells by converting tumour oxygen into reactive singlet oxygen (1O2) using a photosensitizer. However, pre-existing hypoxia in tumours and oxygen consumption during PDT can result in an inadequate oxygen supply, which in turn hampers photodynamic efficacy. Here to overcome this problem, we create oxygen self-enriching photodynamic therapy (Oxy-PDT) by loading a photosensitizer into perfluorocarbon nanodroplets. Because of the higher oxygen capacity and longer 1O2 lifetime of perfluorocarbon, the photodynamic effect of the loaded photosensitizer is significantly enhanced, as demonstrated by the accelerated generation of 1O2 and elevated cytotoxicity. Following direct injection into tumours, in vivo studies reveal tumour growth inhibition in the Oxy-PDT-treated mice. In addition, a single-dose intravenous injection of Oxy-PDT into tumour-bearing mice significantly inhibits tumour growth, whereas traditional PDT has no effect. Oxy-PDT may enable the enhancement of existing clinical PDT and future PDT design. Photodynamic therapy is used in cancer treatment and generates reactive oxygen species to kill tumour cells but is limited by the availability of oxygen. Here, the authors modify a photodynamic sensitiser so that it produces excess oxygen species and show enhanced tumour cell killing in vitro and in vivo.

Subfields: Biomedical Engineering, Cancer Research, Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/84acc0e63f91d8a8b898cb1355f4bff377c2438b