Bismuth‐Based Mesoporous Nanoball Carrying Sorafenib for Computed Tomography Imaging and Synergetic Chemoradiotherapy of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Guangcong Zhang, Jie Liu, Xiang‐Nan Yu, Yong Deng, Yun Sun, Taotao Liu, Ling Dong, Changfeng Zhu, Xizhong Shen, Ji‐Min Zhu, Shu‐Qiang Weng, Yuhao Li
Abstract
Sorafenib (SOR), a multi-kinase inhibitor for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), reveals a limited therapeutic effect due to a lack of selectivity and evident drug resistance. In the present study, bismuth-based mesoporous nanomaterial (NBOF) is loaded with SOR and then coated with polyethylene glycol and folic acid conjugates (P-FA) to form an NBOF@SOR-P-FA nanocarrier system. The system achieves significantly enhanced anti-cancer efficacy by combining chemotherapy with radiotherapy. To evaluate the effect of synergistic treatment, cytotoxicity detection, Live/Dead staining, apoptotic assay, and Western blot analysis are performed. The results suggest that NBOF@SOR-P-FA significantly inhibits HCC cell proliferation and promotes cell apoptosis. Also, the NBOF@SOR-P-FA exhibits excellent biocompatibility by hemolysis and serum biochemical tests and produces a substantially enhanced contrast efficiency as compared to iohexol by computed tomography imaging. More importantly, the profound suppression of tumor growth and potentiation of apoptosis are observed in a mouse subcutaneous tumor model. Collectively, these results indicate that the bismuth-based nanotheranostic platform could enhance the therapeutic effect of sorafenib and serve as an innovative method for HCC treatment.