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Mitochondria‐Targeting Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Cancer Photothermal Therapy
Author(s) -
Zhou Feifan,
Wu Shengnan,
Wu Baoyan,
Chen Wei R.,
Xing Da
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.201100669
Subject(s) - photothermal therapy , carbon nanotube , materials science , nanomaterials , nanotechnology , mitochondrion , nanoparticle , nanomedicine , cancer , depolarization , laser , biophysics , chemistry , medicine , biochemistry , biology , physics , optics
Nanomaterials have recently attracted much attention as efficient transducers for cancer photothermal therapy, based on their intrinsic absorption properties in the near‐infrared region. This study explores a novel therapy model with mitochondria‐targeting single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), which act efficiently to convert 980‐nm laser energy into heat and selectively destroy the target mitochondria, thereby inducing mitochondrial depolarization, cytochrome c release, and caspase 3 activation. The laser+SWNTs process affords remarkable efficacy in suppressing tumor growth in a breast cancer model, and results in complete tumor regression in some cases. Laser+SWNTs could prove to be a promising selective local treatment modality, while minimizing adverse side effects.