3D modeling of in vivo MRI-guided nano-photothermal therapy mediated by magneto-plasmonic nanohybrids.

BACKGROUND: Nano-photothermal therapy (NPTT) has gained wide attention in cancer treatment due to its high efficiency and selective treatment strategy. The biggest challenges in the clinical application are the lack of (i) a reliable platform for mapping the thermal dose and (ii) efficient photothermal agents (PTAs). This study developed a 3D treatment planning for NPTT to reduce the uncertainty of treatment procedures, based on our synthesized nanohybrid. METHODS: This study aimed to develop a three-dimensional finite element method (FEM) model for in vivo NPTT in mice using magneto-plasmonic nanohybrids, which are complex assemblies of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and gold nanorods. The model was based on Pennes' bio-heat equation and utilized a geometrically correct mice whole-body. CT26 colon tumor-bearing BALB/c mice were injected with nanohybrids and imaged using MRI (3 Tesla) before and after injection. MR images were segmented, and STereoLithography (STL) files of mice bodies and nanohybrid distribution in the tumor were established to create a realistic geometry for the model. The accuracy of the temperature predictions was validated by using an infrared (IR) camera. RESULTS: The photothermal conversion efficiency of the nanohybrids was experimentally determined to be approximately 30%. The intratumoral (IT) injection group showed the highest temperature increase, with a maximum of 17 °C observed at the hottest point on the surface of the tumor-bearing mice for 300 s of laser exposure at a power density of 1.4 W/cm2. Furthermore, the highest level of tissue damage, with a maximum value of Ω = 0.4, was observed in the IT injection group, as determined through a simulation study. CONCLUSIONS: Our synthesized nanohybrid shows potential as an effective agent for MRI-guided NPTT. The developed model accurately predicted temperature distributions and tissue damage in the tumor. However, the current temperature validation method, which relies on limited 2D measurements, may be too lenient. Further refinement is necessary to improve validation. Nevertheless, the presented FEM model holds great promise for clinical NPTT treatment planning.

Monitoring of the choline/lipid ratio by 1H-MRS can be helpful for prediction and early detection of tumor response to nano-photo-thermal therapy.

Nanotechnology-based photothermal therapy (NPTT) is a new emerging modality of cancer therapy. To have the right prediction and early detection of response to NPTT, it is necessary to get rapid feedback from a tumor treated by NPTT procedure and stay informed of what happens in the tumor site. We performed this study to find if proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) can be well responsive to such an imperative requirement. We considered various treatment groups including gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), laser, and the combination of AuNPs and laser (NPTT group). Therapeutic effects on CT26 colon tumor-bearing BALB/c mice were studied by looking at alterations that happened in 1H-MRS signals and tumor size after conducting treatment procedures. In MRS studies, the alterations of choline and lipid concentrations and their ratio were investigated. Having normalized the metabolite peak to water peak, we found a significant decrease in choline concentration post-NPTT (from (1.25 ± 0.05) × 10-3 to (0.43 ± 0.04) × 10-3), while the level of lipid concentration in the tumor was slightly increased (from (2.91 ± 0.23) × 10-3 to (3.52 ± 0.31) × 10-3). As a result, the choline/lipid ratio was significantly decreased post-NPTT (from 0.41 ± 0.11 to 0.11 ± 0.02). Such alterations appeared just 1 day after NPTT. Tumor shrinkage in all groups was studied and significant changes were significantly detectable on day 7 post-NPTT procedure. In conclusion, the study of choline/lipid ratio using 1H-MRS may help us estimate what happens in a tumor treated by the NPTT method. Such an in vivo assessment is interestingly feasible as soon as just 1 day post-NPTT. This would undoubtedly help the oncologists make a more precise decision about treatment planning strategies. Monitoring of the choline/lipid ratio by 1H-MRS can be helpful for prediction and early detection of response to nano-photo-thermal therapy.

Fe3O4@Au core-shell hybrid nanocomposite for MRI-guided magnetic targeted photo-chemotherapy.

The combination of multiple therapeutic and diagnostic functions is fast becoming a key feature in the area of clinical oncology. The advent of nanotechnology promises multifunctional nanoplatforms with the potential to deliver multiple therapeutics while providing diagnostic information simultaneously. In this study, novel iron oxide-gold core-shell hybrid nanocomposites (Fe3O4@Au HNCs) coated with alginate hydrogel carrying doxorubicin (DOX) were constructed for targeted photo-chemotherapy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The magnetic core enables the HNCs to be detected through MRI and targeted towards the tumor using an external magnetic field, a method known as magnetic drug targeting (MDT). The Au shell could respond to light in the near-infrared (NIR) region, generating a localized heating for photothermal therapy (PTT) of the tumor. The cytotoxicity assay showed that the treatment of CT26 colon cancer cells with the DOX-loaded HNCs followed by laser irradiation induced a significantly higher cell death as opposed to PTT and chemotherapy alone. The in vivo MRI study proved MDT to be an effective strategy for targeting the HNCs to the tumor, thereby enhancing their intratumoral concentration. The antitumor study revealed that the HNCs can successfully combine chemotherapy and PTT, resulting in superior therapeutic outcome. Moreover, the use of MDT following the injection of HNCs caused a more extensive tumor shrinkage as compared to non-targeted group. Therefore, the as-prepared HNCs could be a promising nanoplatform for image-guided targeted combination therapy of cancer.

1H-MRS application in the evaluation of response to photo-thermal therapy using iron oxide-gold core-shell nanoparticles, an in vivo study.

BACKGROUND: Photo-thermal therapy (PTT) has been at the center of attention as a new method for cancer treatment in recent years. It is important to predict the response to treatment in the PTT procedure. Using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) can be considered a novel technique in evaluating changes in metabolites resulted from PTT. METHODS: In the present project, we conducted an in vivo study to assess the efficacy of 1H-MRS as a noninvasive technique to evaluate the response to treatment in the early hours following PTT. The BALB/c mice subcutaneously bearing tumor cells (CT26 cell line) were scanned by 1H-MRS before and after PTT. Iron oxide-gold core-shell (Fe3O4@Au) as PTT agent was injected into intra-peritoneal at first and then irradiated by NIR laser. Single-voxel Point RESolved Spectroscopy (PRESS) sequence (TE = 144) was used, and metabolites alternations were evaluated by the non-parametric Wilcoxon test. Besides, Nanoparticle (NP) relaxometry was conducted for negative contrast agents' potentials. RESULTS: MRS choline (Cho) peak dramatically reduced 24 h post-PTT (p = 0.01) and lipid peak as a marker for necrosis of tumor elevated (p = 0.01) just in group 3 (NPs injection + laser irradiation) 24 h after the procedure. CONCLUSION: 1H-MRS showed its potential as a method in detecting the changes in metabolites and revealing the outcome accurately. Response to photo-thermal therapy evaluation was achievable only one day after PTT and proved by a 10-day follow-up of the tumor size. Iron oxide-gold core-shell can also be used as a negative contrast agent in MRI images during therapy.

Curcumin Coated Ultra-Small Iron Oxide Nanoparticles as T1 Contrast Agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Cancer Cells.

Background: The application of nanotechnology in the molecular diagnosis and treatment of cancer is essential. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the influence of curcumin-coated ultra-small superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) as a T1 contrast agent in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Material and Methods: In this experimental study, the influence of curcumin-coated USPIO (Fe3O4@C) on the diagnosis of the cancer cell line was investigated. After synthesis, characterization, and relaxation of Fe3O4@C, the contrast changes in T1-weight MRI to mouse colon carcinoma 26 cell line were evaluated in vitro. Results: Fe3O4@C nanoparticles (NPs) are good at imaging; based on a relaxometry test, the r1 and r2 relaxivities of Dotarem were 3.139 and 0.603 mM-1s-1, respectively. Additionally, the r1 and r2 relaxivities of Fe3O4@C were 3.792 and 1.3 mM-1s-1, respectively, with the rate of 2.155 of r2/r1 NPs. Conclusion: The NPs can be identified as a positive contrast agent with a weight of T1 in MRI. The coresh-ell Fe3O4@C NPs can be effective in cancer treatment and diagnosis because of the therapeutic effects of curcumin and the properties of USPIO.

Physico-chemical and MR relaxometry study of bovine serum albumin-coated magneto-plasmonic nanoparticles designed for potential use in cancer nanotheranostics.

PURPOSE: In recent years, the use of nanoparticles has been developed to improve MRI contrast. To improve the contrast agents in image-guided therapy by Multifunctional nanoparticles, in this study, we synthesized a theranostic magneto-plasmonic nanocomplex based on magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and bovine serum albumin-modified gold nanorod (Au@BSA-Fe3O4@CMD). The purpose of synthesizing these nanoparticles was to use them as MRI contrast agent and photothermal agents in in vitro and in vivo experiments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Initially, the properties of the synthesized nanoparticles were investigated by methods such as DLS, TEM, FTIR. MTT assay was used to evaluate the toxicity of nanoparticles. Finally, to evaluate the contrast ability of nanoparticles, MRI images were taken in in vitro and in vivo conditions and then the images were analyzed. RESULTS: MTT test results on CT26 cell line showed no significant cytotoxicity for Au@BSA-Fe3O4@CMD nanoparticles at concentrations up to 20 ppm. The in vitro results demonstrated that the Au@BSA-Fe3O4@CMD nanocomplex has high T2 relaxation rate and great relaxivities (r2 = 140.14 mM-1 s-1, r1 = 2.066 mM-1 s-1, r2/r1 = 67.83). For in vivo conditions, a decrease in T2 signal of 9.64 and 11.01, respectively, was observed for intratumoral and intraperitoneal injection of nanoparticles. CONCLUSION: These in vitro and in vivo studies show that Au @ BSA-Fe3O4@CMD nanoparticles can significantly reduce the signal intensity of T2-weight MRI images, and therefore can offer significant potential as a theranostic platform for effective tumor MR imaging.

A 2D nanotheranostic platform based on graphene oxide and phase-change materials for bimodal CT/MR imaging, NIR-activated drug release, and synergistic thermo-chemotherapy.

Recent years have seen considerable progress in the development of nanomedicine by the advent of 2D nanomaterials serving as ideal platforms to integrate multiple theranostic functions. We synthesized multifunctional stimuli-responsive 2D-based smart nanocomposites (NCs), comprising gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and superparamagnetic iron oxides (SPIOs) scaffolded within graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets, coated with doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded 1-tetradecanol (TD), and further modified with an alginate (Alg) polymer. TD is a phase-change material (PCM) that confines DOX molecules to the GO surface and melts when the temperature exceeds its melting point (Tm=39 °C), causing the PCM to release its drug payload. By virtue of their strong near-infrared (NIR) light absorption and high photothermal conversion efficiency, GO nanosheets may enable photothermal therapy (PTT) and activate a phase change to trigger DOX release. Upon NIR irradiation of NCs, a synergistic thermo-chemotherapeutic effect can be obtained by GO-mediated PTT, resulting an accelerated and controllable drug release through the PCM mechanism. The biodistribution of these NCs could also be imaged with computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in vitro and in vivo. Hence, this multifunctional nanotheranostic platform based on 2D nanomaterials appears a promising candidate for multimodal image-guided cancer therapy.

Multifunctional Theranostic Graphene Oxide Nanoflakes as MR Imaging Agents with Enhanced Photothermal and Radiosensitizing Properties.

The integration of multiple therapeutic and diagnostic functions into a single nanoplatform for image-guided cancer therapy has been an emerging trend in nanomedicine. We show here that multifunctional theranostic nanostructures consisting of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) scaffolded within graphene oxide nanoflakes (GO-SPIO-Au NFs) can be used for dual photo/radiotherapy by virtue of the near-infrared (NIR) absorbance of GO for photothermal therapy (PTT) and the Z element radiosensitization of AuNPs for enhanced radiation therapy (RT). At the same time, this nanoplatform can also be detected by magnetic resonance (MR) imaging because of the presence of SPIO NPs. Using a mouse carcinoma model, GO-SPIO-Au NF-mediated combined PTT/RT exhibited a 1.85-fold and 1.44-fold higher therapeutic efficacy compared to either NF-mediated PTT or RT alone, respectively, resulting in a complete eradication of tumors. As a sensitive multifunctional theranostic platform, GO-SPIO-Au NFs appear to be a promising nanomaterial for enhanced cancer imaging and therapy.

Optimal scheduling of the nanoparticle-mediated cancer photo-thermo-radiotherapy.

Maximal synergistic effect between photothermal therapy and radiotherapy (RT) may be achieved when the interval between these two modalities is optimal. In this study, we tried to determine the optimal schedule of the combined regime of RT and nano-photothermal therapy (NPTT), based on the cell cycle distribution and kinetics of cell death. To this end, alginate-coated iron oxide-gold core-shell nanoparticles (Fe3O4@Au/Alg NPs) were synthesized, characterized, and their photo-radio sensitization potency was evaluated on human nasopharyngeal cancer KB cells. Our results demonstrated that synthesized NPs have a good potential in radiotherapy and near-infrared (NIR) photothermal therapy. However, results from flow cytometry analysis indicated that a major portion of KB cells were accumulated in the most radiosensitive phases of cell cycle (G2/M) 24 h after NPTT. Moreover, the maximal synergistic anticancer efficacy (12.3% cell viability) was observed when RT was applied 24 h following the administration of NPTT (NPs [30 µg/mL, 4 h incubation time] + Laser [808 nm, 1 W/cm2, 5 min] + RT [6 Gy]). It is noteworthy that apoptosis was the dominant cell death pathway in the group of cells treated by combination of NPTT and RT. This highly synergistic anticancer efficacy provides a mechanistic basis for Fe3O4@Au/Alg NPs-mediated photothermal therapy combined with RT. Knowing such a basis is helpful to promote novel nanotechnology cancer treatment strategies.