Red Blood Cell‐Facilitated Photodynamic Therapy for Cancer Treatment. (3rd February 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tang, Wei; Zhen, Zipeng; Wang, Mengzhe; Wang, Hui; Chuang, Yen‐Jun; Zhang, Weizhong; Wang, Geoffrey D; Todd, Trever; Cowger, Taku; Chen, Hongmin; Liu, Lin; Li, Zibo; Xie, Jin
• Is Part Of: Advanced functional materials. Volume 26:Number 11(2016)
• Page Start: 1757
• Page End: 1768
• Publication Date: 2016-02-03
• Subjects: red blood cells -- cancer therapy -- ferritin, photodynamic therapy -- tumor hypoxia; Materials -- Periodicals; Chemical vapor deposition -- Periodicals; 620.11
• DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201504803
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1616-301X

Abstract

Abstract : Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising treatment modality for cancer management. So far, most PDT studies have focused on delivery of photo­sensitizers to tumors. O2, another essential component of PDT, is not artificially delivered but taken from the biological milieu. However, cancer cells demand a large amount of O2 to sustain their growth and that often leads to low O2 levels in tumors. The PDT process may further potentiate the oxygen deficiency, and in turn, adversely affect the PDT efficiency. In the present study, a new technology called red blood cell (RBC)‐facilitated PDT, or RBC‐PDT, is introduced that can potentially solve the issue. As the name tells, RBC‐PDT harnesses erythrocytes, an O2 transporter, as a carrier for photosensitizers. Because photosensitizers are adjacent to a carry‐on O2 source, RBC‐PDT can efficiently produce 1 O2 even under low oxygen conditions. The treatment also benefits from the long circulation of RBCs, which ensures a high intraluminal concentration of photosensitizers during PDT and hence maximizes damage to tumor blood vessels. When tested in U87MG subcutaneous tumor models, RBC‐PDT shows impressive tumor suppression (76.7%) that is attributable to the codelivery of O2 and photosensitizers. Overall, RBC‐PDT is expected to find wide applications in modern oncology. Abstract : Red blood cell(RBC)‐facilitated photodynamic therapy (PDT), or RBC‐PDT, harnesses RBC, an O2 transporter, as a photosensitizer carrier. This measure makes it possible to efficiently generate 1 O2 even under low oxygen conditions. RBC‐PDT addresses the oxygen defficiency limitation that is constantly encountered in conventional PDT and is expected to find wide applications in modern oncology.