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Photodynamic Therapy with Blended Conducting Polymer/Fullerene Nanoparticle Photosensitizers
Published on: October 28, 2015
Nanofabricated upconversion nanoparticles for photodynamic therapy
Baris Ungun1, Robert K Prud'homme, Stephanie J Budijon
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
Optics Express
|January 9, 2009
Summary
We developed novel three-layer Composite Nanoparticles (CNPs) for enhanced singlet oxygen production. These nanoparticles efficiently generate singlet oxygen at low near-infrared light intensities, outperforming other two-photon methods.
Area of Science:
- Nanotechnology
- Materials Science
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Composite Nanoparticles (CNPs) offer versatile platforms for various applications.
- Developing efficient methods for singlet oxygen generation is crucial for photodynamic applications.
- Biocompatible coatings are essential for in vivo nanoparticle applications to evade immune clearance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel three-layer Composite Nanoparticle (CNP) with specific functionalities.
- To characterize the size and properties of the synthesized CNPs.
- To evaluate the singlet oxygen generation efficiency of the CNPs under near-infrared (NIR) light.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of three-layer CNPs with an up-converting phosphor core, porphyrin photosensitizer intermediate layer, and polyethylene glycol (PEG) outer layer.
- Particle size characterization using dynamic light scattering (DLS) or electron microscopy.
- Quantification of singlet oxygen production via spectroscopic methods under NIR irradiation.
Main Results:
- Successfully synthesized three-layer CNPs in the 100-300 nm size range.
- The PEG outer layer effectively prevented clearance by the reticuloendothelial system.
- CNPs demonstrated high singlet oxygen production (millimolar amounts) at significantly lower NIR intensities compared to existing two-photon techniques.
Conclusions:
- The novel three-layer CNPs are a promising platform for efficient singlet oxygen generation.
- The biocompatible PEG coating enhances nanoparticle circulation time.
- These CNPs offer a superior two-photon photodynamic therapy (PDT) approach due to their efficiency at low NIR light intensities.
