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Amaral M, Charmier AJ, Afonso RA, Catarino J, Faísca P, Carvalho L, Ascensão L, Coelho JMP, Gaspar MM, Reis CP. Gold-Based Nanoplataform for the Treatment of Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma: A Step Forward. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:1242. [PMID: 33808984 PMCID: PMC8218498 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13061242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is a very rare subtype of thyroid carcinoma and one of the most lethal malignancies. Poor prognosis is mainly associated with its undifferentiated nature, inoperability, and failing to respond to the typically used therapies for thyroid cancer. Photothermal Therapy (PTT) entails using light to increase tissues' temperature, leading to hyperthermia-mediated cell death. Tumours are more susceptible to heat as they are unable to dissipate it. By using functionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) that transform light energy into heat, it is possible to target the heat to the tumour. This study aims to formulate ATC-targeted AuNPs able to convert near-infrared light into heat, for PTT of ATC. Different AuNPs were synthetized and coated. Size, morphology, and surface plasmon resonances band were determined. The optimized coated-AuNPs were then functionalized with ligands to assess ATC's specificity. Safety, efficacy, and selectivity were assessed in vitro. The formulations were deemed safe when not irradiated (>70% cell viability) and selective for ATC. However, when irradiated, holo-transferrin-AuNPs were the most cytotoxic (22% of cell viability). The biodistribution and safety of this formulation was assessed in vivo. Overall, this novel formulation appears to be a highly promising approach to evaluate in a very near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Amaral
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal; (M.A.); (M.M.G.)
| | - Adília J. Charmier
- DREAMS, Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Campo Grande 376, 1749-024 Lisbon, Portugal;
| | - Ricardo A. Afonso
- Ciências Funcionais e Alvos Terapêuticos, NOVA Medical School Faculdade de Ciências Médicas (NMS|FCM), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 1169-056 Lisbon, Portugal;
- Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - José Catarino
- Laboratório Veterinário, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária—Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias/DNAtech, 1749-024 Lisbon, Portugal; (J.C.); (P.F.)
| | - Pedro Faísca
- Laboratório Veterinário, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária—Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias/DNAtech, 1749-024 Lisbon, Portugal; (J.C.); (P.F.)
| | - Lina Carvalho
- Central Testing Laboratory, Campus de Santiago, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal;
| | - Lia Ascensão
- Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar (CESAM), Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal;
| | - João M. P. Coelho
- Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica (IBEB), Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal;
| | - M. Manuela Gaspar
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal; (M.A.); (M.M.G.)
| | - Catarina Pinto Reis
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal; (M.A.); (M.M.G.)
- Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica (IBEB), Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal;
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