title: Rhenium-188 Labeled Tungsten Disulfide Nanoflakes for Self-Sensitized, Near-Infrared Enhanced Radioisotope Therapy.
abstract: Radioisotope therapy (RIT), in which radioactive agents are administered or implanted into the body to irradiate tumors from the inside, is a clinically adopted cancer treatment method but still needs improvement to enhance its performances. Herein, it is found that polyethylene glycol (PEG) modified tungsten disulfide (WS2 ) nanoflakes can be easily labeled by (188) Re, a widely used radioisotope for RIT, upon simple mixing. Like other high-Z elements acting as radiosensitizers, tungsten in the obtained (188) Re-WS2 -PEG would be able to absorb ionization radiation generated from (188) Re, enabling ''self-sensitization'' to enhance the efficacy of RIT as demonstrated in carefully designed in vitro experiments of this study. In the meanwhile, the strong NIR absorbance of WS2 -PEG could be utilized for NIR light-induced photothermal therapy (PTT), which if applied on tumors would be able to greatly relieve their hypoxia state and help to overcome hypoxia-associated radioresistance of tumors. Therefore, with (188) Re-WS2 -PEG as a multifunctional agent, which shows efficient passive tumor homing after intravenous injection, in vivo self-sensitized, NIR-enhanced RIT cancer treatment is realized, achieving excellent tumor killing efficacy in a mouse tumor model. This work presents a new concept of applying nanotechnology in RIT, by delivering radioisotopes into tumors, self-sensitizing the irradiation-induced cell damage, and modulating the tumor hypoxia state to further enhance the therapeutic outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215123, China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.affiliation: School of Radiation Medicine and Protection and School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 21513, China.
authors.forename: Guanglin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215123, China.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: School of Radiation Medicine and Protection and School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 21513, China.
authors.forename: Xuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.affiliation: School of Radiation Medicine and Protection and School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 21513, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.affiliation: Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215123, China.
authors.forename: Jingjing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215123, China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: School of Radiation Medicine and Protection and School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 21513, China.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215123, China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215123, China.
authors.forename: Zhuang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004220:Disulfides / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006979:Hyperthermia, Induced; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010778:Photochemotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012211:Rhenium / Q000737:chemistry*; D014414:Tungsten / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004220:Disulfides; D011868:Radioisotopes; C000615081:Rhenium-188; D012211:Rhenium; D014414:Tungsten
keywords: WS2 nanoflakes; photothermal therapy; radioisotope therapy; rhenium-188; self-sensitize