title: Tumour cell death induced by the bulk photovoltaic effect of LiNbO3:Fe under visible light irradiation.
abstract: This work reports a pioneer application of the bulk photovoltaic effect in the biomedical field. Massive necrotic cell death was induced in human tumour cell cultures grown on a bulk photovoltaic material (iron-doped lithium niobate, LiNbO(3):Fe) after irradiation with visible light. Lethal doses (≈100% cell death) were obtained with low-intensity visible light sources (10-100 mW cm(-2) irradiances) and short exposure times of the order of minutes. The wavelength dependence to induce the lethal effect observed is consistent with that corresponding to the bulk photovoltaic effect generation in LiNbO(3):Fe. Necrosis also occurred when cultured tumour cells were exposed to LiNbO(3):Fe microparticles and visible light.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. alfonso.blazquez@uam.es
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blázquez-Castro
authors.forename: Juan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Stockert
authors.forename: Begoña
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: López-Arias
authors.forename: Angeles
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Juarranz
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Agulló-López
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: García-Cabañes
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carrascosa
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000737:chemistry*; D008027:Light; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D009556:Niobium / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010087:Oxides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010087:Oxides; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D009556:Niobium; C091692:lithium niobate; D007501:Iron