title: Synergistically enhanced photocatalytic and chemotherapeutic effects of aptamer-functionalized ZnO nanoparticles towards cancer cells.
abstract: Today cancer is one of the most life-threatening diseases in the world. The conventional cancer therapies, including surgery, chemo- and radiation therapies, have some disadvantages, such as limited efficiency and significant side effects. It is necessary to develop new therapeutic treatments. Herein, we integrated the targeted photocatalytic and chemotherapy in a multifunctional drug-delivery platform. The aptamer-functionalized ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) were successfully synthesized. The anti-cancer drug was loaded in the aptamer-ZnO NP system. In vitro cell cytotoxicity experiments showed that combined therapy had a higher rate of death of cancer cells compared to that of single photocatalytic or chemotherapy. Furthermore, aptamer-functionalization could greatly increase the accumulation of nanoparticles within cancer cells and lead to better therapeutic effects. The results suggest that aptamer-functionalized semiconductor nanoparticles may have potential in the development of targeted photocatalytic and chemotherapy against cancer.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Cluster Science of Ministry of Education and School of Physics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, P. R. China. hengcl@bit.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhou
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Xinhuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chenglin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Heng
authors.forename: Qiusen
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Shuanfei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Jingying
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Cui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000737:chemistry*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry*; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006801:Humans; D008027:Light; D061986:MCF-7 Cells; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D012821:Silanes / Q000737:chemistry; D015034:Zinc Oxide / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D004337:Drug Carriers; D012821:Silanes; D004317:Doxorubicin; C522569:triethoxysilane; D015034:Zinc Oxide