Breaking the depth dependency of phototherapy with Cerenkov radiation and low-radiance-responsive nanophotosensitizers.

ABSTRACT: The combination of light and photosensitizers for phototherapeutic interventions, such as photodynamic therapy, has transformed medicine and biology. However, the shallow penetration of light into tissues and the reliance on tissue oxygenation to generate cytotoxic radicals have limited the method to superficial or endoscope-accessible lesions. Here we report a way to overcome these limitations by using Cerenkov radiation from radionuclides to activate an oxygen-independent nanophotosensitizer, titanium dioxide (TiO2). We show that the administration of transferrin-coated TiO2 nanoparticles and clinically used radionuclides in mice and colocalization in tumours results in either complete tumour remission or an increase in their median survival. Histological analysis of tumour sections show

SUBMITTER: Kotagiri N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4393353 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature