Energy dependence of gold nanoparticle radiosensitization in plasmid DNA

DOI: 10.1021/jp206854s

Authors: Stephen J. Mcmahon (Queen's University, Belfast) , Wendy B. Hyland (Queen’s University, Belfast) , Emilie Brun (Queen’s University, Belfast) , Karl T. Butterworth (Queen’s University, Belfast) , Johnathan A. Coulter (Queen’s University, Belfast) , Thierry Douki (INAC/SCIB UMR-E3 CEA-UJF CNRS FRE 3200/CEA-Grenoble) , David G. Hirst (Queen’s University, Belfast) , Suneil Jain (Queen’s University, Belfast) , Anthony P. Kavanagh (University of Oxford) , Zeljka Krpetic (University of Liverpool) , Marcus H. Mendenhall (University of Vanderbilt) , Mark F. Muir (Queen’s University, Belfast) , Kevin M. Prise (Queen’s University, Belfast) , Herwig Requardt (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF)) , Leon Sanche (Université Paris-Sud; Université de Sherbrooke) , Giuseppe Schettino (Queen's University, Belfast) , Fred J. Currell (Queen's University, Belfast) , Cecile Sicard-Roselli (Université Paris-Sud)
Co-authored by industrial partner: No

Type: Journal Paper
Journal: The Journal Of Physical Chemistry C , VOL 115 (41)

State: Published (Approved)
Published: September 2011

Abstract: Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are of considerable interest for use as a radio-sensitiser, due to their bio-compatibility and their ability to increase dose deposited due to their high mass energy absorption coefficient. Their sensitising properties have been verified experimentally, but there is a discrepancy between experimental results and theoretical predictions, which suggests that the sensitising effect does not solely depend on gold's superior absorption of energetic photons. This work presents the results of three experiments that independently mapped out the energy dependence of the radio-sensitising effects of GNPs on plasmid DNA suspended in water. Incident photon energy was varied from 11.8 to 80 keV through the use of monochromatic synchrotron and broadband X-rays. These results depart significantly from theoretical predictions in two ways. Firstly, the sensitisation is significantly larger than would be predicted; secondly, it does not vary with energy as would be predicted from energy absorption coefficients. These results clearly demonstrate that the effects of GNP-enhanced therapies cannot be predicted by considering additional dose alone, and that a greater understanding of the processes involved is necessary for the development of future therapeutics.

Subject Areas: Materials, Chemistry, Medicine


Instruments: B16-Test Beamline , I15-Extreme Conditions

Other Facilities: ESRF

Added On: 19/09/2011 09:20

Discipline Tags:

Non-Communicable Diseases Physical Chemistry Health & Wellbeing Cancer Chemistry Materials Science Nanoscience/Nanotechnology Life Sciences & Biotech

Technical Tags:

Diffraction