Assessment of Gold Nanoparticle-Mediated-Enhanced Hyperthermia Using MR-Guided High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Oncology

Background:

• High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a noninvasive method for treating solid tumors.
• Collateral damage from high acoustic powers used in HIFU presents a significant clinical challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the use of gold nanoparticles (gNPs) for localized heating enhancement during HIFU.
• To determine if gNPs can reduce collateral damage by enabling lower acoustic powers.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of tissue-mimicking material (TMM) phantoms with varying gNP concentrations (0%, 0.0625%, 0.125%).
• Sonications performed using an MR-HIFU system at acoustic powers of 10, 15, and 20 W for 16 seconds.
• Measurement and comparison of temperature rises and lesion volumes in phantoms with and without gNPs.

Main Results:

• At 10 W, gNPs increased maximum temperature rise by 32% (0.0625%) and 43% (0.125%).
• At 15 W, lesion volumes were 44.5 ± 7 mm³ (0.0625% gNPs) and 63.4 ± 32 mm³ (0.125% gNPs), compared to 0 mm³ without gNPs.
• At 20 W, gNPs at 0.0625% and 0.125% concentrations doubled and tripled lesion volumes, respectively.

Conclusions:

• Gold nanoparticles show potential for enhancing localized heating in HIFU procedures.
• gNPs can facilitate tumor ablation at reduced acoustic powers, thereby minimizing damage to adjacent healthy tissues.