title: Gold nanoparticles for cancer radiotherapy: a review.
abstract: Radiotherapy is currently used in around 50% of cancer treatments and relies on the deposition of energy directly into tumour tissue. Although it is generally effective, some of the deposited energy can adversely affect healthy tissue outside the tumour volume, especially in the case of photon radiation (gamma and X-rays). Improved radiotherapy outcomes can be achieved by employing ion beams due to the characteristic energy deposition curve which culminates in a localised, high radiation dose (in form of a Bragg peak). In addition to ion radiotherapy, novel sensitisers, such as nanoparticles, have shown to locally increase the damaging effect of both photon and ion radiation, when both are applied to the tumour area. Amongst the available nanoparticle systems, gold nanoparticles have become particularly popular due to several advantages: biocompatibility, well-established methods for synthesis in a wide range of sizes, and the possibility of coating of their surface with a large number of different molecules to provide partial control of, for example, surface charge or interaction with serum proteins. This gives a full range of options for design parameter combinations, in which the optimal choice is not always clear, partially due to a lack of understanding of many processes that take place upon irradiation of such complicated systems. In this review, we summarise the mechanisms of action of radiation therapy with photons and ions in the presence and absence of nanoparticles, as well as the influence of some of the core and coating design parameters of nanoparticles on their radiosensitisation capabilities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA UK.
authors.forename: Kaspar
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Haume
authors.affiliation: Department of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA UK.
authors.forename: Soraia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rosa
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL UK.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grellet
authors.affiliation: Department of Control and Power Engineering, Faculty of Ocean Engineering and Ship Technology, Gdansk University of Technology, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland.
authors.forename: Małgorzata A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Śmiałek
authors.affiliation: Department of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA UK.
authors.forename: Karl T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Butterworth
authors.affiliation: MBN Research Center, Altenhöferallee 3, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Andrey V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Solov'yov
authors.affiliation: Department of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA UK.
authors.forename: Kevin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Prise
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL UK.
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Golding
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA UK.
authors.forename: Nigel J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Mason
keywords: Gold nanoparticles; Nanomedicine; Radiosensitisation