Polish nanoparticles like a Trojan horse introduced into tumors

Specialists from the Institute of Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Warsaw University of Life Sciences have developed nanoparticles that can penetrate cancer cells and destroy them from within. But nanoparticles can be equipped not only with cancer-destroying drugs, they can be, for example, fluorescent tracers that unmask cancer cells.

Nanoparticles developed by Polish researchers are created on zinc oxide or zirconium oxide meringue. They are intended to play a role similar to the Trojan horse. They are supposed to penetrate inside the comorek carrying with it rotive compounds, whichore can helpoc in diagnose or attack cancerousor.

Zinc oxide and zirconium oxide, with ktor which the nanoparticles are built, are completely safe for the body. This has been a priority in research, as an army of small Trojan horses is expected to penetrate the comorek throughout the body. In addition, the nanoparticles are designed so that healthy comorks removed them and left only in the comocancerous tumors.

– Komorks of cancer rapidly multiply and grow, and thus their cell membranesorkowe are sometimes less tight than the membranes of healthy comorek. And in addition, in comohese are missing some mechanismsoin cleansing, i.e. removing foreign bodies. Therefore, our particles are able to penetrate into the comorek tumor and stay there already – said in an interview with PAP prof. Marek Godlewski of IF PAN.

24 hours after administration, the nanoparticles are mostly removed from healthy cellsorek – says Godlewski. They remain only in the comocancer cells and in the liver.

Inside such Trojan horses can be packed przerotrong compounds. These could be fluorescent tracers thatore illuminated by laser light to help the doctor cut the right spot of the. These could be roalso magnetic compounds helpful in tumor imagingoin using magnetic resonance. But inside you can pack roalso an anti-cancer drug – same as with chemotherapy. Wotion will be released only when Trojan nanocones are left only in the comor cancer.

– If we limit the area of action of the drug, it will be possible to deliver a dose of the drug to the tumor, higher than before, and still safe for the patient – explained prof. Godlewski. An additional advantage of this way is the possibility to reach comorek distributed in the roticular areas of the body or located in such places where surgical removal of the tumor is no longer possible (e.g. in mozg).

Nanoparticles have already passed in vitro and in vivo toxicology tests. There have also been the first tests at a veterinary clinic. Scientists have tested nanoparticles containing magnetic compounds by giving them to a rat in suspension to drink. The next day, an MRI scan revealed the location of the tumor, after which surgery could be performed to resect the tumor.

However, there is still a long and expensive way to go for human studies, but these results give hope that the idea of Polish scientists’ow really has potential for application.