College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering , Zhengzhou University , Zhengzhou 450001 , China.
Department of Radiation Oncology , The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University , Zhengzhou 450000 , China.
ACS Nano. 2019 Jul 23;13(7):8320-8328. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.9b03767. Epub 2019 Jun 28.
Gold nanoclusters have become promising radiosensitizers due to their ultrasmall size and robust ability to adsorb, scatter, and re-emit radiation. However, most of the previously reported gold nanocluster radiosensitizers do not have a precise atomic structure, causing difficulties in understanding the structure-activity relationship. In this study, a structurally defined gold-levonorgestrel nanocluster consisting of Au(CHO) (AuNC) with bright luminescence (58.7% quantum yield) and satisfactory biocompatibility was demonstrated as a nanoradiosensitizer. When the AuNCs were irradiated with X-rays, they produced reactive oxygen species (ROS), resulting in irreversible cell apoptosis. As indicated by tumor formation experiments, tumorigenicity was significantly suppressed after one radiotherapy treatment with the AuNCs. In addition, compared with tumors treated with X-rays (4 Gy) alone, tumors treated with the nanosensitizer exhibited an inhibition rate of 74.2%. This study contributes to the development of atomically precise gold nanoclusters as efficient radiosensitizers.
金纳米团簇由于其超小的尺寸和强大的吸附、散射和再发射辐射的能力，已成为有前途的放射增敏剂。然而，以前报道的大多数金纳米团簇放射增敏剂没有精确的原子结构，这给理解结构-活性关系带来了困难。在这项研究中，证明了一种结构明确的金-左炔诺孕酮纳米团簇，由具有明亮发光（58.7%量子产率）和令人满意的生物相容性的 Au(CHO)（AuNC）组成，是一种纳米放射增敏剂。当 AuNC 受到 X 射线照射时，它们会产生活性氧物质（ROS），导致细胞不可逆转的凋亡。肿瘤形成实验表明，经 AuNC 放射治疗一次后，肿瘤的致瘤性显著受到抑制。此外，与单独用 X 射线（4 Gy）治疗的肿瘤相比，用纳米增敏剂治疗的肿瘤抑制率达到 74.2%。本研究为开发原子精确的金纳米团簇作为高效放射增敏剂做出了贡献。
