EVALUATION OF A NOVEL BODIPY-BASED BORONATED COMPOUND FOR BORON NEUTRON CAPTURE THERAPY IN MELANOMA CELLS

CASCARDO, C.; BERALDI, O.N.; MESTRE AHUMADA, V.; OLIVERA, M.S.; IBAÑEZ, I.L.; GIORDANO, L.; DURÁN, H.

Congreso; Reunión Anual de Sociedades de Biociencias 2023; 2023

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a binary treatment that combines a selective accumulation of 10B carriers in tumor cells and neutron irradiation to produce the 10B neutron capture that generates the high linear energy transfer (LET) particles, 7 Li and α. The aim ofthis study was to evaluate a novel boronated compound for BNCT in human melanoma cells (A375). This new compound was synthesized by conjugating a boron cluster, sodium borocaptate (BSH) to a borondipyrromethenedifluoride (BODIPY), which presents an intrinsic fluorescence/BNCT duality. Cytotoxicity was determined by MTT assay after incubation of A375 cells with different concentrations of this compound (BODIPY-BSH) for 24 hours. No cytotoxicitywas found up to 100 µM. For higher concentrations (1-100mM), significant cytotoxicity was detected. Cells were incubated with 100 µM BODIPY-BSH for different times (0-20 h) and the incorporation of this compound was detected by epifluorescence microscopy and intracellular boron concentration quantified by atomic emission spectrometry. Maximum take up was (3.01±1.23)exp+9 10B atoms/cell at 2 hours of incubation. BNCT was performed in A375 cells afterincubation with 100 µM BODIPY-BSH for 2 h and neutron irradiation (thermal flux (2.9±0.3)exp+11 n/cm2 .min) with the RA-3 reactor facility from CNEA. Neutron irradiation of cells without BODIPY-BSH was also performed. Time of irradiation was calculated to obtain a total dose of 2 Gy, both for neutrons alone and BODIPY-BSH + neutrons. Control cells without treatment or incubated with the compound were sham irradiated. Response to treatments was determined by MTT assay. Cell viability reduction of (31.52 ± 9.74)% and (50.57 ± 5.06)% was found after neutrons alone and BNCT, respectively. We conclude that this new compound is a promising agent for BNCT.