posted on 2020-03-19, 17:49authored byLindsey Bennie, Samir A. Belhout, Susan J. Quinn, Jonathan A. Coulter
Polymer-supported
gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) show increased stability
to biological and physiological conditions compared to free AuNPs.
Here, we demonstrate an increase in the cellular uptake efficiency
of Au by the DU145 human prostate cancer cell line for 4.5 nm AuNPs
loaded onto 100 nm (13%) and 200 nm (18%) polystyrene particles compared
to free AuNPs (4%). Composite formulations were well tolerated by
the cell with minimal direct toxicity. Under X-ray irradiation, significant
radiation dose enhancement of 1.23 at 4 Gy was observed, outperforming
previously reported radiosensitization experiments using free AuNPs,
demonstrating the potential application of polymer-supported AuNPs
as radiosensitizers.