Gold nanoparticles and their coatings, their effect on cells and their interaction with radiation

Two nanometre gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), bearing sugar moieties and/or polyethylene glycolamine (PEG-amine), were synthesised and evaluated for their in vitro toxicity and ability to radiosensitise cells with 220 kV and 6 MV X-rays, using four cell lines representing normal and cancerous skin and breast tissues. In addition to the observed intrinsic cancer-selective chemotoxicity, these AuNPs acted as radiosensitisers in combination with 220 kV or 6 MV X-rays. The ability of AuNPs bearing simple ligands to act as cancer-selective chemoradiosensitisers is a novel discovery that holds great promise in developing low-cost cancer nanotherapeutics (paper)