title: Verteporfin based silica nanoparticle for in vitro selective inhibition of human highly invasive melanoma cell proliferation.
abstract: Photodinamic therapy (PDT) has gained an increasing interest as a new tool to treat skin cancers such as melanoma. This clinical approach take advantage from the combination of a photosensitizer and a specific light wavelength able to induce singlet oxygen production. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have been widely investigated as drug nanocarriers as their structure and morphology could be customized to produce suitable nanoplatforms enabling high cargo capacity. In the present study MSNs were successfully conjugated with the second generation photosensitizer verteporfin and the resulting nanoplatform (Ver-MSNs) was tested in an in vitro PDT model as a potential tool for melanoma treatment. Ver-MSNs based PDT did not affect cell proliferation of neither a normal human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT) or a low mestastatic melanoma cell line (A375P). On the other hand Ver-MSNs based PDT deeply affect the highly invasive SK-MEL-28 melanoma cell line behavior, as testified by the strong reduction in cell proliferation along with the dramatic change in cellular morphology, through a nanoparticle internalization dependent mechanism. In fact, experiments performed in the presence of endocytosis inhibitors (chlorpromazine and amiloride) resulted in an attenuation of Ver-MSNs based PDT induced cell death, along with a recover in cellular morphology. MSN doped with verteporfin could thus represent a promising and useful tool for PDT treatment of highly invasive melanoma.
authors.affiliation: Innovative Research Laboratory for Wound Healing, Health Sciences Department, Università del Piemonte Orientale, via Solaroli, 17, 28100 Novara, Italy. Electronic address: manuela.rizzi@med.uniupo.it.
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rizzi
authors.affiliation: Innovative Research Laboratory for Wound Healing, Health Sciences Department, Università del Piemonte Orientale, via Solaroli, 17, 28100 Novara, Italy. Electronic address: stelvio.tonello@med.uniupo.it.
authors.forename: Stelvio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tonello
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Innovazione Tecnologica e Centro Nano-SiSTeMI, Università del Piemonte Orientale, V. Teresa Michel 11, 15121 Alessandria, Italy; Nucleos Research of Photodynamic Therapy, Chemistry Department, State University of Maringá, Av. Colombo 5.790, 87020-900 Maringá, Paraná, Brazil. Electronic address: bianca_estevao@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Bianca Martins
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Estevão
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Innovazione Tecnologica e Centro Nano-SiSTeMI, Università del Piemonte Orientale, V. Teresa Michel 11, 15121 Alessandria, Italy. Electronic address: enrica.gianotti@uniupo.it.
authors.forename: Enrica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gianotti
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Innovazione Tecnologica e Centro Nano-SiSTeMI, Università del Piemonte Orientale, V. Teresa Michel 11, 15121 Alessandria, Italy. Electronic address: leonardo.marchese@uniupo.it.
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marchese
authors.affiliation: Innovative Research Laboratory for Wound Healing, Health Sciences Department, Università del Piemonte Orientale, via Solaroli, 17, 28100 Novara, Italy. Electronic address: filippo.reno@med.uniupo.it.
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Renò
mesh_terms: D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology*; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D010778:Photochemotherapy; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011166:Porphyrins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D000077362:Verteporfin
chemical_list: D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; D011166:Porphyrins; D000077362:Verteporfin; D012822:Silicon Dioxide
keywords: Melanoma; Mesoporous silica nanoparticles; PDT; Proliferation; Verteporfin