Premium
Rhodium Nanoparticles as a Novel Photosensitizing Agent in Photodynamic Therapy against Cancer
Author(s) -
Machuca Andres,
GarciaCalvo Estefania,
Anunciação Daniela S.,
LuqueGarcia Jose L.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.202001112
Subject(s) - photodynamic therapy , nanoparticle , reactive oxygen species , chemistry , nanomaterials , nanotechnology , photosensitizer , cancer , surface modification , cancer therapy , cancer treatment , biophysics , photochemistry , materials science , biochemistry , medicine , organic chemistry , biology
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising alternative treatment for different types of cancer due to its high selectivity, which prevents healthy tissues from being damaged. The use of nanomaterials in PDT has several advantages over classical photosensitizing agents, due to their unique properties and their capacity for functionalization. Especially interesting is the use of metallic nanoparticles, which are capable of absorbing electromagnetic radiation and either transferring this energy to oxygen molecules for the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) or dissipating it as heat. Although previous reports have demonstrated the capacity of Rh derivatives to serve as anti‐tumor drugs, to the best of our knowledge there have been no studies on the potential use of small‐sized Rh nanoparticles as photosensitizers in PDT. In this study, 5 nm Rh nanoparticles have been synthesized and their potential in PDT has been evaluated. The results show that treatment with Rh nanoparticles followed by NIR irradiation induces apoptosis in cancer cells through a p53‐independent mechanism.