Assessment of chitosan modified nanoparticles, as boron carriers in BNCT

Abstract

Background and purpose: Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is a promising radiotherapy based on the accumulation of Boron into the tumor and subsequent irradiation with low energy neutrons. It leads to the decay of10B to7Li and α particle, causing the death of the neoplastic cells. Here we report some chitosan modified nanoparticles bearing boron phenyl alanine (BPA) as an inexpensive novel promising boron containing structures for practical use in BNCT. Materials and methods: In an experimental study, different BPA-containing nanoparticles of Chitosan (CS) were prepared. Some properties including size and zeta potential were determined by DLS method. The extent of BPA loading was determined using UV-Vis. Spectroscopy and the in-vitro release profiles were analyzed using HPLC method. Results: Tripolyphosphate (TPP) cross-linked CS-BPA nanoparticles released 51 of the BPA content, TPP cross-linked CS-FA-BPA nanoparticles released 24 of its BPA content and TPP cross-linked CS-SA-FA-BPA nanoparticles released 66 of its BPA content in the same time. Conclusion: This study introduces two kinds of the Chitosan NPs as BPA carriers. This modified formulations with different release profiles have the opportunity to test in BNCT. Regarding the Chitosan safety and price these systems can be promising candidates in BNCT cancer treatment. In the future studies, the in-vitro neutron capture studies will be carried out to evaluate the boron content efficiency in the prepared formulations. © 2018, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.