Photodynamic Therapy with an AlPcS4Cl Gold Nanoparticle Conjugate Decreases Lung Cancer’s Metastatic Potential

Abstract

Cancer metastasis and the risk of secondary tumours are the leading causes of cancer related death, and despite advances in cancer treatment, lung cancer remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. A crucial characteristic of metastases is cell invasion potential, which is mainly determined by cell motility. Photodynamic therapy (PDT), known for its minimally invasive cancer treatment approach, has been extensively researched in vitro and is currently being developed clinically. Due to their physicochemical and optical properties, gold nanoparticles have been shown to increase the effectivity of PDT by increasing the loading potential of the photosensitizer (PS) inside cancer cells, to be biocompatible and nontoxic, to provide enhanced permeability and retention, and to induce lung cancer cell death. However, effects of gold nano phototherapy on lung cancer metastasis are yet to be investigated. The aim of this in vitro study was to determine the inhibitory effects of PS-gold nano bioconjugates on lung cancer metastasis by analysing cell proliferation, migration, cell cycle analysis, and extracellular matrix cell invasion. The findings indicate that nano-mediated PDT treatment of lung cancer prevents lung cancer migration and invasion, induces cell cycle arrest, and reduces lung cancer proliferation abilities, elaborating on the efficacy of the nano-mediated PDT treatment of lung cancer.