Oxidized Silicon Nanoparticles and Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Radiation Therapy

KLEIN, STEFANIE; SOMMER, ANJA; DELL'ARCIPRETE, MARIA LAURA; MARC WEGMANN, MARC; OTT, SUSANNE; LUITPOLD V.R. DISTEL; WINFRIED NEUHUBER; GONZALEZ, MONICA C.; KRYSCHI, CAROLA

Journal of Nanomaterials & Molecular Nanotechnology

SciTechnol

Año: 2014 vol. S2 p. 1 - 7

2324-8777

Our research objective is to develop superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and silicon nanoparticles as radiosensitizers for cancer therapy. After internalization by breast tumor cells and irradiation with X-rays, the nanoparticles were observed to enhance the oxidative stress in tumor cells. While silicon nanoparticles increase the reactive oxygen species production under X-ray treatment due to their incompletely oxidized surface, positively charged amino-functionalized silicon nanoparticles enhance the formation of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species formation because of their direct interaction with the mitochondrial membrane. On the other hand, uncoated and citrate-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles were found to increase the reactive oxygen species formation in X-ray treated tumor cells via two particular surface features, being, first, the leakage of iron ions and second, the catalytic activity of nanoparticle surfaces. Both may initiate the Haber-Weiss and Fenton reaction.