Nanoscale radiotherapy with hafnium oxide nanoparticles.

Abstract

AIM:

There is considerable interest in approaches that could improve the therapeutic window of radiotherapy. In this study, hafnium oxide nanoparticles were designed that concentrate in tumor cells to achieve intracellular high-energy dose deposit.

MATERIALS & METHODS:

Conventional methods were used, implemented in different ways, to explore interactions of these high-atomic-number nanoparticles and ionizing radiation with biological systems.

RESULTS:

Using the Monte Carlo simulation, these nanoparticles, when exposed to high-energy photons, were shown to demonstrate an approximately ninefold radiation dose enhancement compared with water. Importantly, the nanoparticles show satisfactory dispersion and persistence within the tumor and they form clusters in the cytoplasm of cancer cells. Marked antitumor activity is demonstrated in human cancer models. Safety is similar in treated and control animals as demonstrated by a broad program of toxicology evaluation.

CONCLUSION:

These findings, supported by good tolerance, provide the basis for developing this new type of nanoparticle as a promising anticancer approach in human patients.

• Authors: Laurence Maggiorella, Gilles Barouch, Corinne Devaux, Agnès Pottier, Eric Deutsch, Jean Bourhis, Elsa Borghi, Laurent Levy
• Journal: Future oncology (London, England) (Future Oncol) Vol. 8 Issue 9 Pg. 1167-81 (Sep 2012) ISSN: 1744-8301 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 23030491 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Oxides
• Radiation-Sensitizing Agents
• hafnium oxide
• Hafnium

Topics

• Animals
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Cell Survival (radiation effects)
• Computer Simulation
• Endosomes (metabolism, pathology)
• Female
• Hafnium (administration & dosage, adverse effects, pharmacokinetics)
• Humans
• Mice
• Mice, Nude
• Models, Biological
• Monte Carlo Method
• Nanoparticles (administration & dosage, adverse effects)
• Neoplasms (diagnostic imaging, pathology, radiotherapy)
• Oxides (administration & dosage, adverse effects, pharmacokinetics)
• Radiation-Sensitizing Agents (administration & dosage, adverse effects, pharmacokinetics)
• Radiography
• Tumor Burden (radiation effects)
• Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays