Name: Fatima Tanveer

Roll No. : 19-10544

Radiobiology

Assignment topic: Use of nanoparticles for radiotherapy

Introduction

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and emergence of cancer patients
is quite eminent now due to aging and compromised environmental issues. Nowadays the main
approaches used to treat cancer are Radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgery. Radiotherapy is
the key player for treating primary non-metastasized solid tumors in 50% of cancer patients.
However, all of the treating techniques have certain side effects and nanoparticles are merged
that ensures the safety of treating the cancer with limited side effects.(Pucci,C et al,2019)

Nanoparticle

The particles between 1 and 100 nanometres (nm) in size with a surrounding interfacial

layer. The interfacial layer is an integral part of nanoscale matter, fundamentally affecting all of
its properties. The interfacial layer typically consists of ions, inorganic and organic molecules.
Organic molecules coating inorganic nanoparticles are known as stabilizers, capping and surface
ligands, or passivating agents. (Wikipedia)

Nanoparticle, ultrafine unit with dimensions measured in nanometers. Nanoparticles exist

in the natural world and are also created as a result of human activities. Because of their very
small size, they have unique attributes, and artificially made nanoparticles are of practical use in
a variety of areas, including medicine, engineering, catalysis, and environmental remediation.
(King,S. 2019)
Radiotherapy

Radiation therapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses beams of intense energy to kill cancer
cells. Radiation therapy most often uses X-rays, but protons or other types of energy also can be used.
The term "radiation therapy" most often refers to external beam radiation therapy.

Radiotherapy is one of the most common and effective thing to treat cancer. Since cancer cells
grow in uncontrolled manner, they are more towards radiation-induced DNA damage. More than 60% of
cancer patients are treated with radiotherapy and this is supplied through various techniques like external
beam (electrons, protons, photons) and brachytherapy (internal radioactive source).Mode of application is
dependant on the clinical indications. (Barcellos-Hoff et al. 2005)

Radiation therapy is under use for treating cancer but its side effects of damaging healthy
human tissues are quite observant as well. However nano particles has solved this dilemma by
reducing the tissue damage and ensuring the target specific delivery which helps to treat cancer
better than radiation therapy which was harmful for normal cells as well. (Barcellos-Hoff et al.
2005)

The side effects of radiation therapy are undeniable although it is the only effective
treatment in practice. Tumor cells are at times far away from the site where radiation is being
implied. It basically decreases the intensity and impact as it is not directly exposed to the
radiation. and the most hazardous factor, which is the resistance of cells towards radiation also
occurs.(Mayo Clinic Staff,2018)

Nanotechnology in the Treatment of Cancer

 For better cancer diagnosis, nanotechnology can be used. To allow better cancer
detection, is one of the main usage field of optical Nanoparticles. Classical methods that are used
in diagnosis have limitations. The Classified methods such as x-ray, tomography or
mammography requires using mutagenic agents on cells that cause cancer, too. Nanoparticles in
diagnosis is possible technique that can be used to eliminate these concerns. This technique work
with special dyes to interact with tumor cells and the optical Nano particles can be detected.
(Boyesen,E., 2019)

Application of nanotechnology to combining radiotherapy with other

Therapies

In order to overcome the issues proposed by radiotherapy it has been studied that
combination of radiotherapy with chemotherapy can help to treat the cancer with minimal
damage to the normal tissues and other side effects can be controlled to a certain extent.. The
concept was proposed after the discovery of fluorouracil. This combined process helps in
prevention of sequential process that was used to be followed as chemotherapy makes the tumor
cells sensitive and radiation kills them consequently. One of the major advantage is this
continuous and dual treatment at a time helps in stopping the re-accumulation of cancer cells
which can occur in sequential process.

Nanotechnology can make chemoradiotherapy efficient in two ways.

1. by the combination of nanoparticles with external irradiation. This basically is a combination

therapy in which certain drugs like such as cisplatin, doxorubicin, and paclitaxel plays an
important role in sensitizing the tumor growth areas which can help in successful and required
radiation exposure.

2. Another approach is to supply the tissue with chemotherapeutic and radiation at a same
moment of time in a same nano-particle the ensures the continuous required availability and ratio
at that particular zone.

Both nanotechnology approaches benefit from decreased toxicity in normal tissues and
preferential accumulation in tumors due to the reasons mentioned previously. (. Mi, Y., 2016)

Improving radiosensitizer delivery through nanomedicine

The nanoparticles can be provided with Xrays and it is nbtxr3 which generates electrons
to kill the cancerous cells. Researchers are tryng to develop nanoparticles actinium and they will
be able to release alpha particles. The interaction of Xrays results in the emission of of auger
electrons as well which are florescent and have low energy. (Kwatra,D. et al, 2013)

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) have emerged as “radiosensitizers” in treating cancer. These

agents are responsible for improving and boosting up the effects of radiation on tissue which are
being treated with radiotherapy. Thus they help in and advanced and improved treatment.

Nanoparticles formulations of known radiosensitizers can increase target specific

delivery of the Agents. For example, an effective radiosensitizer is wortmannin which inhibits
phosphatidylinositol 3′ kinases and phosphatidylinositol 3′ kinase-related kinases such as DNA-
dependent pro-tein kinases. But due to its poor solubility, low stability, and high toxicity it is not
used.

The problem is solved by using wortmannin with nanoparticle. The composition includes :

 DSPE-PEG lipid shell.

 PLGA polymer core.

The nanoradiosensitizer was explained to be more effective than 5-Florouracil on mice

bearing KB cell xeno-grafts and as compared to wortmannin its MTD was three to five times
more in ratio that shows its better effectiveness.

The flowchart explains the summary of radiosensitization: (Kwatra,D. et al, 2013)

Properties of gold nanoparticles

 Gold nanoparticles are used in combined with chemotherapy for treatment of cancer. The
advantages of gold nanoparticles are:-
 They help in eliminating the large supplied amount of nanoparticles to each tumor cell as
they target the large area efficiently.
 In comparison to low molecular contrast agents like iodine, they have low systemic
clearance which is responsible to increase the contact time to an extent where maximum
absorption of photosensitizing agent in tumor infected area can take place.
 They show enhanced permeation rate (EPR) in tumor cells and have very low clearance
rate that shows their stability and increases retention period.
 They can be attached to certain moieties such as antibodies and delivered with them as
they circulate in vast and abundant areas of body thus it can help in delivering large
number of the gold atoms to the tumor tissue for which to solutions of iodine are used.
 It has high carrying capacity in its small size for example a nanoparticle of 10-15 nm in
size contains 50-75 thousand atoms that helps in increased efficiency.
 The gold nanoparticles can be of different sizes as well as shapes (such as spheres cube,
rods, cones or other 3D structures) and it is basically determined on the treatment and
delivery need (such as its size and location). It helps in achieving the required deliverance
and better effects.
 Gold nanoparticles are easy to image and quantify and thus they can be used to conduct
overall as well as tissue specific pharmacokinetic studies. It can help us to quantify the
specific dose levels.
 In CT-guided radiotherapy gold nano particles are used as they serve as signal enhancer. (Haume,
K.et al,2016)

(Yang,C.et al,2018)
Bibliography

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3. Wikipedia. Nanoparticle.

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https://www.britannica.com/science/nanoparticle

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https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/radiation-therapy/about/pac-20385162

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https://www.understandingnano.com/nanoparticles-cancer-radiation-therapy.html

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