Photothermal-triggered control of sub-cellular drug accumulation using doxorubicin-loaded single-walled carbon nanotubes for the effective killing of human breast cancer cells.
Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are often the subject of investigation as effective photothermal therapy (PTT) agents owing to their unique strong optical absorption. Doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded SWNTs (SWNTs-DOX) can be used as an efficient therapeutic agent for combined near infrared (NIR) cancer photothermal and chemotherapy. However, SWNTs-DOX-mediated induction of cancer cell death has not been fully investigated, particularly the reaction of DOX inside cancer cells by PTT. In this study, we examined how the SWNTs-DOX promoted effective MDA-MB-231 cell death compared to DOX and PTT alone. We successfully synthesized the SWNTs-DOX. The SWNTs-DOX exhibited a slow DOX release, which was accelerated by NIR irradiation. Furthermore, DOX released from the SWNTs-DOX accumulated inside the cells at high concentration and effectively localized into the MDA-MB-231 cell nucleus. A combination of SWNTs-DOX and PTT promoted an effective MDA-MB-231 cell death by mitochondrial disruption and ROS generation. Thus, SWNTs-DOX can be utilized as an excellent anticancer agent for early breast cancer treatment.
Department of Marine-Bio Convergence Science, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Republic of Korea.
Yunok
Y
Oh
Jun-O
JO
Jin
Junghwan
J
Oh
D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006979:Hyperthermia, Induced; D042541:Intracellular Space / Q000378:metabolism; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D010789:Phototherapy; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism
D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D004317:Doxorubicin