title: Scintillating Nanoparticles as Energy Mediators for Enhanced Photodynamic Therapy.
abstract: Achieving effective treatment of deep-seated tumors is a major challenge for traditional photodynamic therapy (PDT) due to difficulties in delivering light into the subsurface. Thanks to their great tissue penetration, X-rays hold the potential to become an ideal excitation source for activating photosensitizers (PS) that accumulate in deep tumor tissue. Recently, a wide variety of nanoparticles have been developed for this purpose. The nanoparticles are designed as carriers for loading various kinds of PSs and can facilitate the activation process by transferring energy harvested from X-ray irradiation to the loaded PS. In this review, we focus on recent developments of nanoscintillators with high energy transfer efficiency, their rational designs, as well as potential applications in next-generation PDT. Treatment of deep-seated tumors by using radioisotopes as an internal light source will also be discussed.
authors.forename: Anyanee
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kamkaew
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education & School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University , Xi'an, Shaanxi 710071, China.
authors.forename: Yonghua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.forename: Rebecca L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Majewski
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center , Madison, Wisconsin 53705, United States.
authors.forename: Weibo
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004735:Energy Transfer; D006801:Humans; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010778:Photochemotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D055585:Physical Phenomena
chemical_list: D017319:Photosensitizing Agents
keywords: Cerenkov radiation; X-ray activatable nanoparticles; cancer therapy; energy mediator; photodynamic therapy; photosensitizer; radiosensitizer; scintillating nanoparticles; scintillator