Proceedings of The World Conference on Engineering and Technology
Year: 2019
DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.33422/worldcet.2019.10.286
Photo-activated N-doped/TiO2 nanoparticles with anticancer properties
Nefeli Lagopati, Athanassios Kotsinas, Vassilis G. Gorgoulis, and Evangelia Pavlatou
ABSTRACT:
The aim of this study was the synthesis of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles with photo-induced anticancer properties, under visible light irradiation. It is well established that when pure TiO2 nanoparticles are excited by ultraviolet light, the formed reactive oxygen species (ROS) can significantly damage cancer cells by inducing apoptosis and, thus, promoting TiO2 as a promising photosensitizer against cancer. Surface modification by TiO2 doping with nitrogen (N-doped) is proved to improve TiO2 photocatalytic activity, according to recent studies. This doping process is associated with the reduction of electron-hole recombination, resulting in efficient separation and stronger photocatalytic reactions, upon irradiation with visible light. Thus, synthesis of N-doped TiO2 was conducted, followed by surface and morphological characterization realized by micro-Raman spectroscopy, SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) microscopy and DLS (Dynamic Light Scattering) techniques. Additionally, cultured MCF-7 (non-metastatic) and MDA-MB-231 (highly malignant) breast cancer epithelial cells were irradiated, using visible light, in the presence of N-doped TiO2 aqueous dispersions. Cell proliferation was estimated, and growth rates were prepared in order to investigate the biological effect of N-doped TiO2. In conclusion, experimental findings indicate that there is an important percentage of cancer cell population which partly loses their functionality, with a significant effect on cell proliferation.
Keywords: N-doped TiO2, photocatalysis, visible light, anticancer.