Silicon dots in radiotherapy

DELL'ARCIPRETE, MARIA L.; MÓNICA C. GONZALEZ; ROXANA M. GOROJOD; MÓNICA L. KOTLER

Silicon Nanomaterials Sourcebook

CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2017; p. 429 - 440

Radiation therapy is an important treatment modality for many types of human cancer. Although this therapeutic approach is effective in many cases, normal tissue toxicity limits the total radiation dose a patient can receive. Advances in instrumentation and technology lead to more precise X-rays targeting eliminating some of the normal tissue damage. In particular, nanomaterials used as radiosensitizers are known to increase the efficiency of X-rays causing more localized damage to DNA and targeted organelles of tumour cells. The targeted localized damage due to the small size of the particles and their versatile surface modification with specific recognition molecules, and the capability of nanoparticles (NPs) to produce reactive radicals upon irradiation are key properties to take advantage of in the enhancement strategies of cytostatic and cytolytic activities in tumour cells by high energy (MeV) ionizing radiation.Silicon semiconductor nanoparticles (SiDs) have received great attention as they combine a size-dependent photoluminescence, a rich surface chemistry, and the capacity to photosensitize singlet oxygen (1O2) and to photoreduce O2, methyl viologen and metal ions as Au3+ and Ag+. Remarkable properties of SiDs when compared to other materials are their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and tunable surface derivatization for drug delivery. In vivo assays indicate that SiDs are metabolized and eliminated from the body in relatively short times. In this regard, there is an increased interest in new applications of SiDs. In this chapter we discuss the progress in SiDs studies as therapeutic agents enhancing the effects of radiation therapy.