Breakthrough in Breast Cancer Treatment: Enhancing Photothermal Therapy with Nanostraw-Assisted Injection

A new research study has made significant strides in the treatment of breast cancer, demonstrating the potential of nanostraw-assisted injection to enhance photothermal therapy (PTT). The study, led by researchers from Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), has shown that the use of nanostraw-assisted injection can improve the efficacy of PTT in human breast cancer cell lines by enhancing cellular uptake, intracellular targeting, and the progression of cell death pathways.

Key Takeaways:

• Researchers from Sao Paulo State University (UNESP) have demonstrated that nanostraw-assisted injection can enhance the photothermal therapy (PTT) efficacy of gold shell-isolated nanoparticles (AuSHINs) in human breast cancer cell lines.
• The study found that nanostraw-assisted injection resulted in approximately 10-fold higher internalization of AuSHINs compared to 0.5-h incubation, leading to a 2-fold higher reduction in the viability of photoactivated breast cancer cells.
• The researchers attribute the enhancement in PTT efficacy to three differences between the delivery methods: nanoparticle internalization, intracellular targeting, and the progression of cell death pathways.
• The differential targeting of nanostraw-delivered AuSHINs resulted in approximately 2-fold higher reduction in the viability of photoactivated breast cancer cells treated with nanostraw-delivered AuSHINs.
• Nanostraw-assisted injection accelerated the initiation of apoptosis relative to incubation, leading to more pronounced PTT-induced cell death in MCF7 cells compared to MDA-MB-231 cells.
• The research highlights the potential of nanostraw-assisted injection to enhance PTT and suggests that integrating it into delivery strategies could lead to more effective cancer treatment.

Statistics:

• 10-fold higher internalization of AuSHINs with nanostraw-assisted injection compared to 0.5-h incubation.
• 2-fold higher reduction in the viability of photoactivated breast cancer cells treated with nanostraw-delivered AuSHINs.
• 2-fold higher reduction in the viability of MCF7 cells treated with nanostraw-delivered AuSHINs.
• 2.5 times more pronounced PTT-induced cell death in MCF7 cells compared to MDA-MB-231 cells.

Sources:

• Enhancing Photothermal Therapy Against Breast Cancer Cells by Modulating the End Point of Gold Shell-Isolated Nanoparticles Using Nanostraw-Assisted Injection. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2025.
• ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Amer Chemical Soc, 1155 16TH St, NW, Washington, DC 20036, USA.
• Pedro H. B. Aoki, School of Sciences, Humanities and Languages, Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Assis, SP 19806-900, Brazil.