Triple-negative breast cancer treatment in xenograft models by bifunctional nanoprobes combined to photodynamic therapy

Abstract

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) overexpresses the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR), a characteristic of different types of tumors, linked to worse disease prognosis and risk of recurrence. Conventional treatments are also aggressive and can be morbid.. Therefore, t improvement and development of new methods are notorious. Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is an effective method for treating different types of cancer by using light radiation to activate a photosensitizing agent (drug) in molecular oxygen presence, promoting cell death., Improving drug uptake in target cells could contribute to PDT efficiency. Accordingly, we developed a bifunctional nanoprobe (BN), used in PDT as a a treatment method in vivo against breast cancer. The BN uses gold nanoparticles with active targeting through the Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) protein and Chlorine e6 (Ce6) carriers. We evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of in vivo xenograft in 4 groups: Saline, BN, Ce6+PDT, and BN+PDT. As a result, we observed that the BN+PDT group exhibited an excellent effect with greater selectivity to tumor tissue and tissue damage when compared to the Saline, BN, and Ce6+PDT groups. The results indicate a potential impact on breast cancer treatment in vivo.. In conclusion, our data propose that the BN developed heightened PDT efficacy through cellular DNA repair effects and tumor microenvironment.