Modified Beta-carotene-bound albumin nanoparticles for breast tumor ablation

Chlorin e6 (Ce6) has attracted considerable interest as a promising second-generation photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy (PDT). However, the in vivo availability of Ce6 is significantly restricted by its low water solubility and poor ability to target tumors. The fabricated albumin nanoparticles consisted of bovine serum albumin (BSA), Ce6-BSA, and beta-carotene as a carrier, photosensitizing agent, and cross-linker, respectively. These albumin nanoparticles (Ce6-BSA-BC-NPs) did not include any toxic chemotherapeutics but instead contained naturally safe beta-carotene and Ce6, which was activated only upon irradiation with 660-nm laser light. The nanoparticles showed significant cytotoxicity toward 4T1 cells as evaluated by MTT, Live/Dead, and TUNEL assays. Overall, this improved in vivo antitumor efficacy seemed to be due to the targetability of albumin nanoparticles and offer a promising new potential therapeutic platform for breast cancer treatment.

Do you want to learn more? Read this interesting article!