Photothermal Therapy of Cancer Cells Mediated by Blue Hydrogel Nanoparticles

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate in vitro the utility of biologically compatible, nontoxic and cell-specific targetable hydrogel nanoparticles (NPs), which have Coomassie^® Brilliant Blue G dye (Sigma-Aldrich, MO, USA) covalently linked into their polyacrylamide matrix, as candidates for photothermal therapy (PTT) of cancer cells. Materials & methods: Hydrogel NPs with Coomassie Brilliant Blue G dye covalently linked into their polyacrylamide matrix were fabricated using a reverse micelle microemulsion polymerization method and were found to be 80–95 nm in diameter, with an absorbance value of 0.52. PTT-induced hyperthermia/thermolysis was achieved at 37°C using an inexpensive, portable, light-emitting diode array light source (590 nm, 25 mW/cm²). Results & conclusion: Hydrogel NPs with Coomassie Brilliant Blue G dye linked into their polyacrylamide matrix are effective in causing PTT-induced thermolysis in immortalized human cervical cancer cell line (HeLa) cells for varying NP concentrations and treatment times. These multifunctional particles have previously been used in cancer studies to enable delineation, for glioma surgery and in photoacoustic imaging studies. The addition of the PTT function would enable a three-pronged theranostic approach to cancer medicine, such as guided tumor surgery with intra-operative photoacoustic imaging and intra-operative PTT.

Original submitted 21 May 2012; Revised submitted 13 September 2012

Keywords::

• cancer cell
• Coomassie^® Brilliant Blue G dye
• polyacrylamide nanoparticle
• photothermal therapy

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the NIH through grant number NIH-R33CAI25297 (Principle Investigator: R Kopelman). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank M Nie, M Waugh and L Ghuneim for their assistance with nanoparticle fabrication and light-emitting diode array characterization.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the NIH through grant number NIH-R33CAI25297 (Principle Investigator: R Kopelman). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.