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Anticancer Photodynamic Therapy Properties of Sulfur‐Doped Graphene Quantum Dot and Methylene Blue Preparations in MCF ‐7 Breast Cancer Cell Culture
Author(s) -
Monroe Jerry D.,
Belekov Ermek,
Er Ali Oguz,
Smith Michael E.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
photochemistry and photobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.818
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1751-1097
pISSN - 0031-8655
DOI - 10.1111/php.13136
Subject(s) - singlet oxygen , methylene blue , photodynamic therapy , chemistry , reactive oxygen species , cytotoxicity , graphene quantum dot , photochemistry , cancer cell , oxygen , quantum dot , materials science , nanotechnology , cancer , biochemistry , medicine , organic chemistry , photocatalysis , in vitro , catalysis
Photodynamic therapy ( PDT ) is a field with many applications including chemotherapy. Graphene quantum dots ( GQD s) exhibit a variety of unique properties and can be used in PDT to generate singlet oxygen that destroys pathogenic bacteria and cancer cells. The PDT agent, methylene blue ( MB ), like GQD s, has been successfully exploited to destroy bacteria and cancer cells by increasing reactive oxygen species generation. Recently, combinations of GQD s and MB have been shown to destroy pathogenic bacteria via increased singlet oxygen generation. Here, we performed a spectrophotometric assay to detect and measure the uptake of GQD s, MB and several GQD ‐ MB combinations in MCF ‐7 breast cancer cells. Then, we used a cell counting method to evaluate the cytotoxicity of GQD s, MB and a 1:1 GQD : MB preparation. Singlet oxygen generation in cells was then detected and measured using singlet oxygen sensor green. The dye, H 2 DCFDA , was used to measure reactive oxygen species production. We found that GQD and MB uptake into MCF ‐7 cells occurred, but that MB , followed by 1:1 GQD : MB , caused superior cytotoxicity and singlet oxygen and reactive oxygen species generation. Our results suggest that methylene blue's effect against MCF ‐7 cells is not potentiated by GQD s, either in light or dark conditions.