Program Information
Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Excited by Cerenkov Radiation Increase Cancer Cell Killing in External Beam Radiotherapy
Z Ouyang1*, M Moreau1 , S Yasmin-Karim2 , W Ngwa2 , (1) University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA (2) Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Presentations
MO-DE-605-12 (Monday, July 31, 2017) 1:45 PM - 3:45 PM Room: 605
Purpose: To confirm the therapeutic enhancement due to zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) during external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) and elucidate the possible mechanism.
Methods: Recent publications show that titanium dioxide nanoparticles may be used in radiation therapy (RT) for tumor sensitization, and the effect is possibly related to the Čerenkov effect. ZnO has similar photocatalytic properties as titanium dioxide does, and it of high interest due to its selective damage to cancer cells. We hypothesize that using ZnO NPs in EBRT can amplify damages to cancer cells. In this study, we synthesized ZnO NPs coated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and characterized the NPs. Using the ZnO-PEG NPs, we performed an in-vitro experiment with human lung cancer cells (A549), and tested cell survival by clonogenic assays.
Results: Significant decrease in cancer cell survival was observed in cells treated with ZnO-PEG NPs (up to 2 µg/g) and irradiated with 6 MV radiation, compared to cells that were only irradiated. For the same NP concentration, therapeutic enhancement was higher with higher radiation dose.
Conclusion: ZnO NPs can be used to significantly increase cancer cell damage. Čerenkov radiation (CR), other than its use in dose imaging, may be used in RT for therapy improvement.
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