1 research outputs found
Pharmaceutical Formulations Containing Graphene and 5āFluorouracil for Light-Emitting Diode-Based Photochemotherapy of Skin Cancer
Nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most common cancer
worldwide,
among which 80% is basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Current therapiesā
low efficacy, side effects, and high recurrence highlight the need
for alternative treatments. In this work, a partially reduced nanographene
oxide (p-rGOn) developed in our laboratory was used. It has been achieved
through a controlled reduction of nanographene oxide via UVāC
irradiation that yields small nanometric particles (below 200 nm)
that preserve the original water stability while acquiring high light-to-heat
conversion
efficiency. The latter is explained by a loss of carbonāoxygen
single bonds (CāO) and the re-establishment of sp2 carbon bonds. p-rGOn was incorporated into a Carbopol hydrogel together
with the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) to evaluate a possible
combined PTT and chemotherapeutic effect. Carbopol/p-rGOn/5-FU hydrogels
were considered noncytotoxic toward normal skin cells (HFF-1). However,
when A-431 skin cancer cells were exposed to NIR irradiation for 30
min in the presence of Carbopol/p-rGOn/5-FU hydrogels, almost complete
eradication was achieved after 72 h, with a 90% reduction in cell
number and 80% cell death of the remaining cells after a single treatment.
NIR irradiation was performed with a light-emitting diode (LED) system,
developed in our laboratory, which allows adjustment of applied light
doses to achieve a safe and selective treatment, instead of the standard
laser systems that are associated with damages in the healthy tissues
in the tumor surroundings. Those are the first graphene-based materials
containing pharmaceutical formulations developed for BCC phototherapy