A Study of Sonodynamic Therapy of Melanoma C540 Cells in Vitro by Titania/Gold Nanoparticles

Sonodynamic Therapy (SDT), a safe and non-invasive strategy in tumor therapy, is in development using novel sono-sensitizers, activated by low-intensity ultrasound radiation. SDT mainly progresses through Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) generation followed by cell annihilation.

The current study aimed to investigate the effect of ultrasound therapy with titania/gold nanoparticles (NPs) on melanoma cancer.

In this experimental study, Titania/gold NPs (TGNPs) were synthesized, and their activity was investigated in sonodynamic therapy of a melanoma cancer cell line (C540). SDT was performed at 1.0 W cm-2 and 1.0 MHz for one minute.

The synthesized NPs that comprised gold NPs of <10 nm into titania NPs of <20 nm showed great stability and cytocompatibility. While TGNPs were biocompatible, a remarkable rate of cell ablation was observed upon ultrasound irradiation due to ROS generation. 

The SDT using TGNPs can be introduced as an alternative and low-cost treatment method for melanoma malignancy.