Desing of theranostic gadolinium nanoparticles and their in vitro applications

Theranostic therapy is one of the most promising technology in cancer research, which simulteniously allows treating and real-time monitoring of cancer. In the present study, a novel material has been developed for theranostic approach. Gadolinium nanoparticles (GdNP) and Protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) both have encapsulated with niosomes (Gd-PpIX-Ni). Here nisome has been used for the encapsulation of Gd-PpIX-Ni due to the fact that nisomes possess high biocompatiblity, physical and chemical stability. GdNp and PpIX are good sensitizer for radio therapy (RT) and PpIX is one of the more studied agent for photodynamic therapy (PDT). Treatment was performed by the combination of PDT and RT, by using human alveolar type-II (ATII)-like cell lines (A549), human cervical cancer cell line (HeLa) and Human alveolar epithelium cell line (WI38). Cell lines were monitored by fluorescence microscopy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Characterization of sizes and zeta potential of vesicles were carried out by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). MTT method was used viability of cell. Our results showed that Gd-PpIX-Ni are homegenious and consistent less than 100 nm. In conclusion, Gd-PpIX-Ni can be considered as good candidates to for PDT and RT treatment in theranostic approches.