Decoding shape- and type-dependent cellular toxicity of plasmonic nanoparticles in healthy and cancer cells.

IF 3.6 3区医学 Q3 NANOSCIENCE & NANOTECHNOLOGY

Nanotoxicology Pub Date : 2026-11-01 Epub Date: 2026-08-11 DOI:10.1080/17435390.2026.2715136

Şevval Çelikten, Jülide Secerli, Onur Erdem, Hakan Erdoğan, Merve Güdül Bacanlı

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Plasmonic photothermal therapy (PTT) offers a promising route for selective cancer treatment through laser-activated metallic nanoparticles (NPs). Here, we systematically evaluated how NP geometry, size, and elemental composition govern photothermal toxicity responses in healthy fibroblasts (L929) and lung carcinoma cells (A549) under both laser-free and 808 nm laser-irradiated conditions. Spherical, rod-shaped, and star-shaped gold nanoparticles (AuNP, AuNR, AuNS), together with spherical and prismatic silver nanoparticles (AgNP, AgNPr), were synthesized, characterized, and assessed across multiple biological endpoints. Cellular viability (MTT), reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, DNA damage (Comet assay), inflammatory cytokine release (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10), and apoptosis (Annexin V/PI staining and caspase-3/9 activation) were systematically analyzed. Laser activation markedly amplified cancer-selective cytotoxicity, with AuNR and AgNPr exhibiting the strongest photothermal responses while largely sparing healthy cells. AuNR and 20 nm AuNP induced pronounced ROS generation and caspase-dependent apoptosis in A549 cells upon irradiation, whereas AgNPr preferentially promoted DNA damage and inflammatory signaling in cancer cells with minimal effects in L929 cells. Across all nanostructures, laser irradiation selectively intensified genotoxic and inflammatory responses in tumor cells, highlighting a strong dependence on nanoparticle geometry and plasmonic resonance matching. Collectively, these results demonstrate that NP shape and photothermal activation synergistically dictate therapeutic/toxic effects and selectivity. AuNR and AgNPr emerge as leading candidates for precision PTT, combining potent anticancer activity with favorable biocompatibility. This work provides mechanistic insight into structure-activity relationships in plasmonic PTT and informs the rational design of next-generation photothermal nanotherapeutics.

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解码形状和类型依赖的等离子体纳米颗粒在健康细胞和癌细胞中的细胞毒性。

等离子体光热疗法（PTT）通过激光激活的金属纳米颗粒（NPs）为选择性癌症治疗提供了一条有前途的途径。在这里，我们系统地评估了NP几何形状、大小和元素组成如何在无激光和808 nm激光照射条件下影响健康成纤维细胞（L929）和肺癌细胞（A549）的光热毒性反应。我们合成了球形、棒状和星形金纳米粒子（AuNP、AuNR、AuNS），以及球形和棱柱形银纳米粒子（AgNP、AgNPr），并对其进行了表征，并在多个生物终点进行了评估。系统分析细胞活力（MTT）、活性氧（ROS）生成、DNA损伤（Comet测定）、炎症因子释放（TNF-α、IL-6、IL-10）和细胞凋亡（Annexin V/PI染色和caspase-3/9活化）。激光激活显著增强了癌症选择性细胞毒性，其中AuNR和AgNPr表现出最强的光热反应，而在很大程度上保留了健康细胞。辐照后，AuNR和20 nm的AuNP诱导A549细胞产生明显的ROS和caspase依赖性凋亡，而AgNPr优先促进癌细胞的DNA损伤和炎症信号传导，对L929细胞的影响很小。在所有纳米结构中，激光照射选择性地增强了肿瘤细胞的遗传毒性和炎症反应，强调了对纳米颗粒几何形状和等离子体共振匹配的强烈依赖。总的来说，这些结果表明NP形状和光热激活协同决定了治疗/毒性作用和选择性。AuNR和AgNPr结合了强大的抗癌活性和良好的生物相容性，成为精密PTT的主要候选药物。这项工作为等离子体PTT的结构-活性关系提供了机制见解，并为下一代光热纳米疗法的合理设计提供了依据。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Nanotoxicology 医学-毒理学

CiteScore

10.10

自引率

4.00%

发文量

审稿时长

3.5 months

期刊介绍： Nanotoxicology invites contributions addressing research relating to the potential for human and environmental exposure, hazard and risk associated with the use and development of nano-structured materials. In this context, the term nano-structured materials has a broad definition, including ‘materials with at least one dimension in the nanometer size range’. These nanomaterials range from nanoparticles and nanomedicines, to nano-surfaces of larger materials and composite materials. The range of nanomaterials in use and under development is extremely diverse, so this journal includes a range of materials generated for purposeful delivery into the body (food, medicines, diagnostics and prosthetics), to consumer products (e.g. paints, cosmetics, electronics and clothing), and particles designed for environmental applications (e.g. remediation). It is the nano-size range if these materials which unifies them and defines the scope of Nanotoxicology . While the term ‘toxicology’ indicates risk, the journal Nanotoxicology also aims to encompass studies that enhance safety during the production, use and disposal of nanomaterials. Well-controlled studies demonstrating a lack of exposure, hazard or risk associated with nanomaterials, or studies aiming to improve biocompatibility are welcomed and encouraged, as such studies will lead to an advancement of nanotechnology. Furthermore, many nanoparticles are developed with the intention to improve human health (e.g. antimicrobial agents), and again, such articles are encouraged. In order to promote quality, Nanotoxicology will prioritise publications that have demonstrated characterisation of the nanomaterials investigated.