Assessing Fab-Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles-Mediated Thermal Enhancement during High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a noninvasive cancer treatment.
• Gold nanoparticles (gNPs) can enhance thermal effects in medical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the thermal enhancement of Fab-functionalized gold nanoparticles (gNPs) during HIFU treatment in a mouse prostate cancer model.
• To assess the impact of varying gNPs concentrations and HIFU power levels on tumor temperature and thermal dose.

Main Methods:

• Prostate tumors (PC3) were established in NSG mice.
• gNPs were injected into tumors at concentrations of 0%, 0.019%, and 0.125%.
• HIFU was applied at 30W, 40W, and 50W within a 1.5 T MRI system, recording temperature changes and calculating thermal doses. Histopathology (H&E, CC3 staining) was performed post-sonication.

Main Results:

• At 50W HIFU, temperature increases ranged from 16.77°C (0% gNPs) to 27.78°C (0.125% gNPs).
• Corresponding thermal doses significantly increased with gNPs concentration, reaching 31563.70 min at 0.125% gNPs.
• Histopathology revealed cellular damage in HIFU-treated tumors, particularly around the focal area.

Conclusions:

• Fab-functionalized gNPs significantly enhance HIFU-induced hyperthermia in a preclinical prostate cancer model.
• Increased gNPs concentration correlates with higher temperatures and thermal doses, indicating improved therapeutic potential.
• The findings support the use of gNPs as sensitizers to improve HIFU efficacy for localized tumor treatment.