Page 42 - PR 2014 2016 10 Materials and Nanotechnology

318 Materials and Nanotechnology | Progress Report

more specific and less harmful methods to together with Dr. Fabio Luiz Navarro Marques,
patients are always being developed. At this will be tested both as diagnostic agents and
point, nanoparticulate systems have played for treatment in cultured cells or in animals
an important role. with induced tumors.

The use of gold nanoparticles from 198Au is Development of Gold nanoparticles as
already a reality. The ability of this metal to be radiation sensitizers in cancer therapy and
used both as a contrast agent for diagnosis and as internal nanodosimeter
as a therapeutic agent classifies it in the class
of agent for “theranostic”. Katti and colleagues Every year, many millions of people worldwide
have demonstrated that nanoparticles formed are diagnosed with cancer and there are a
from 198Au are highly effective in the treat- high percentage of deaths from the disease.
ment of prostate cancer, a method proposed by Even the survivors of the cancer treatment
him to prepare these nanoparticles using mol- have serious deleterious heath effect due to
ecules obtained directly from natural products chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Radiation
such as green tea (epigallocatechin- 3-gallate), therapy is very aggressive, but it is an increas-
drawing even more attention to these materi- ing important tool to fight cancer. It is still a
als, however little was presented on the yield great challenge in radiation therapy to Deliver
and stability of this method, besides forming the proper curative dose of radiation to tumor
nanoparticles with great dispersion of size. while sparing normal tissues from radiation.
We have recently developed a method capable
We have recently developed a method capable of generating gold nanoparticles with sizes
of generating gold nanoparticles with sizes around 14 nm, very stable (zeta potential great-
around 14 nm, very stable (zeta potential great- er than -30 mV) and with a yield greater than
er than -30 mV) and with a yield greater than 99.7% using a gold leaf. It is therefore intended
99.7% using a gold leaf (Figure48). It is therefore to apply such materials in vitro and in vivo
intended to apply such materials in vitro and tests for the treatment of both prostate cancer
in vivo tests for the treatment of both prostate and bladder cancer.
cancer and bladder cancer.
To this end, the 198AuNps were prepared and
encapsulated with Albumin, by direct physio
absorption effect and with the use of coupling
agents (3-MPA) (Figure 49). Gold nanoparti-
cles were also conjugated with a new peptide

Figure 48

To this end, the 198AuNps will be prepared and,
Figure 49. 198AuNps en- Figure 50. Internalization in PC-e cells
in collaboration with the Laboratory of Nu- capsulated with Albumin of Au nanoparticles conjugated with
clear Medicine of the University of São Paulo, by coupling with3-MPA CD-163 mimic.

Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares