title: In vivo enhancement of anticancer therapy using bare or chemotherapeutic drug-bearing nanodiamond particles.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study investigated the use of nanodiamond particles (NDs) as a promising material for drug delivery in vivo and in vitro.
  
  
  METHODS
  HepG2 cells (a human hepatic carcinoma cell line) were used to determine the characteristics of a nanodiamond-doxorubicin complex (ND-DOX) when taken up by cells in vitro using laser scanning confocal microscopy and dialysis experiments. We also compared the survival rate and histopathology of tumor-bearing mice after treatment with NDs or ND-DOX in vivo.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In vitro investigation showed that ND-DOX has slow and sustained drug release characteristics compared with free doxorubicin. In vivo, the survival rate of tumor-bearing mice treated with ND-DOX was four times greater than that of mice treated with free doxorubicin. Interestingly, the survival rate in mice treated with NDs alone was close to that of mice treated with free doxorubicin. This indicates that treatment with ND-DOX can prolong the lifespan of tumor-bearing mice significantly compared with conventional doxorubicin and that NDs can have this effect as well. Histopathological analysis showed that neither the NDs nor ND-DOX were toxic to the kidney, liver, or spleen in contrast with the well-known toxic effects of free doxorubicin on the kidney and liver. Further, both the bare NDs and ND-DOX could suppress tumor growth effectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NDs can potentially prolong survival, and ND-DOX may act as a nanodrug with promising chemotherapeutic efficacy and safety.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Taiyuan, People's Republic of China ; Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Molecular Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yingqi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Taiyuan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yaoli
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Taiyuan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ruixia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Molecular Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhimei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Molecular Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Binsheng
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Molecular Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Pin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D004337:Drug Carriers; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D056945:Hep G2 Cells; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008114:Liver Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D058612:Nanodiamonds / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D050997:Nanomedicine; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D004337:Drug Carriers; D058612:Nanodiamonds; D004317:Doxorubicin
keywords: cancer; drug delivery; nanodiamond; survival rate; sustained release; treatment