Photothermal therapy has attracted much interest for use in cancer treatment in recent years. In this study, Cu2 Se nanoparticles as a novel photothermal agent modified by chitosan (CS-Cu2 SeNPs) were successfully synthesized through a facile route at room temperature. The as-synthesized CS-Cu2 SeNPs exhibited good water solubility and significant stability. CS-Cu2 SeNPs can efficiently convert near-infrared (NIR) light into heat and exhibit excellent thermostability. In vitro experiments showed that CS-Cu2 SeNPs had selective cellular uptake between cancer and normal cells and expressed clear anticancer activity on A375 and HeLa human cancer cells. In addition, the anticancer activity was increased to about 400 % by combination with a laser at 808 nm, which acted through induction of apoptosis with the involvement of intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. CS-Cu2 SeNPs irradiated with a laser effectively triggered the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction that promoted cell apoptosis. Therefore, the developed CS-Cu2 SeNPs could be used as a novel phototherapeutic agent for the photothermal therapy of human cancers.
Keywords: cancer; nanostructures; photochemistry; photothermal therapy; reactive oxygen species.
© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.