Targeted photodynamic therapy technique of Janus nanoparticles on breast cancer

Abstract

Spherical gold/polyacrylic acid (Au/PAA) polymer–inorganic Janus nanoparticles (JNPs) with simultaneous therapeutic and targeting functions were fabricated. The obtained Au/PAA JNPs were further selectively functionalized with folic acid (FA) and thiol PEG amine (SH-PEG-NH₂) on Au sides to provide superior biocompatibility and active targeting, while the other PAA sides were loaded with 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) to serve as a photosensitizer (PS) for photodynamic therapeutic (PDT) effects on MCF-7 cancer cells. The PS loading of 5-ALA was found to be 83% with an average hydrodynamic size and z-potential of 146 ± 0.8 nm and −6.40 mV respectively for FA-Au/PAA-ALA JNPs. The in vitro PDT study of the JNPs on MCF-7 breast cancer cells under 636 nm laser irradiation indicated the cell viability of 24.7% ± 0.5 for FA-Au/PAA-ALA JNPs at the IC50 value of 0.125 mM. In this regard, the actively targeted FA-Au/PAA-ALA JNPs treatment holds great potential for tumour therapy with high cancer cell-killing efficacy.

Keywords:

• Janus nanoparticles
• photodynamic therapy
• breast cancer
• active targeting

Acknowledgments

The authors sincerely thank the University of Johannesburg, the National Laser Centre, and the National Research Foundation–South African Research Chairs Initiative (NRFSARChI) for their financial grant support. The authors sincerely thank the University of Johannesburg, the National Laser Centre, and the University of Johannesburg GES 4.0 PDF Fellowship for their financial grant support.

Author contributions

Hanieh Montaseri made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work and interpretation of data for the work. Hanieh Montaseri and Heidi Abrahamse were involved in the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work. Hanieh Montaseri and Heidi Abrahamse drafted the work and revised it critically for important intellectual content and finally approved the version to be published. Hanieh Montaseri and Heidi Abrahamse agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by the South African Research Chairs Initiative of the Department of Science and Technology and the National Research Foundation of South Africa, grant number 98337. The authors sincerely thank the University of Johannesburg, the National Laser Centre, and the National Research Foundation—South African Research Chairs Initiative (NRF-SARChI) for their financial grant support.