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Photodynamic Treatment of Human Breast and Prostate Cancer Cells Using Rose Bengal-Encapsulated Nanoparticles
Mir Muhammad Nasir Uddin1,2, Alina Bekmukhametova1, Anu Antony1
1School of Science, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2750, Australia.
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
|October 14, 2023
Summary
Chitosan nanoparticles effectively delivered rose bengal (RB) for photodynamic therapy, significantly killing breast and prostate cancer cells while sparing normal cells. This targeted approach overcomes limitations of traditional chemotherapy.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Nanotechnology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Traditional chemotherapy faces challenges like drug resistance and systemic toxicity.
- Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using rose bengal (RB) shows potential but suffers from poor tumor penetration.
- Hydrophilic RB aggregates and fails to efficiently enter cancer cells in vivo.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop RB-encapsulated chitosan nanoparticles for enhanced cancer treatment.
- To evaluate the efficacy and safety of RB-loaded nanoparticles in PDT for breast and prostate cancer cells.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis and characterization of rose bengal (RB)-encapsulated chitosan nanoparticles (~200 nm).
- In vitro evaluation of nanoparticle internalization and cytotoxicity against human breast (MCF-7) and prostate (PC3) cancer cells.
- Assessment of photodynamic therapy efficacy using a green laser (532 nm) with RB-loaded nanoparticles.
Main Results:
- RB-loaded chitosan nanoparticles demonstrated efficient cellular uptake.
- Photodynamic therapy with RB-nanoparticles achieved 94-98% cancer cell death at low RB dosage (25 μg/mL).
- No significant toxicity was observed in normal human breast cells (MCF10A).
Conclusions:
- RB-encapsulated chitosan nanoparticles are a promising platform for targeted photodynamic cancer therapy.
- This approach overcomes RB's penetration limitations and offers a potentially safer alternative to conventional treatments.
- The non-toxicity to normal cells suggests translational potential for clinical applications.
