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Updated: May 3, 2026
Anticancer Efficacy of Photodynamic Therapy with Lung Cancer-Targeted Nanoparticles
Published on: December 1, 2016
X-ray-induced nanoparticle-based photodynamic therapy of cancer
Xiaoju Zou1, Mingzhen Yao, Lun Ma
1Department of Physics & the Center for Security Advances via Applied Nanotechnology, The University of Texas at Arlington, TX 76019-0059, USA.
Aim:
In this study, Ce(3+)-doped lanthanum(III) fluoride (LaF3:Ce(3+)) nanoparticles were synthesized by a wet-chemistry method in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and their application as an intracellular light source for photodynamic activation was demonstrated.
Materials & Methods:
The LaF3:Ce(3+)/DMSO nanoparticles have a strong green emission with a peak at approximately 520 nm, which is effectively overlapped with the absorption of protoporphyrin IX (PPIX). The nanoparticles were encapsulated into poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide (PLGA) microspheres along with PPIX. Upon irradiation with x-rays (90 kV), energy transfer from the LaF3:Ce(3+)/DMSO nanoparticles to PPIX occurs and singlet oxygen is generated for cancer cell damage.
Results:
The LaF3:Ce(3+)/DMSO/PLGA or LaF3:Ce(3+)/DMSO/PPIX/PLGA microspheres alone caused only sublethal cytotoxicity to the cancer cells. Upon x-ray irradiation, the LaF3:Ce(3+)/DMSO/PPIX/PLGA microspheres induced oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage and DNA fragmentation on prostate cancer cells (PC3).
Discussion:
The results indicate that x-rays can activate LaF3:Ce(3+) and PPIX nanocomposites, which can be a novel method for cancer destruction.
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