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Thursday, 16th July 2009 (1322 views)

Gold nanoparticles damage two types of cancer cells, which could pave the way for their use in non-invasive treatments for the disease, according to a new study by scientists at Louisiana State University (LSU).

Ram Devireddy and Todd Monroe were initially researching the use of gold nanoparticles as an alternative to cryoprotective agents for shielding frozen cells when they are thawed, Medical News Today reports.

Dr Devireddy said cells are "like bags of water" and many are damaged by the sharp edges of ice crystals when they are frozen and thawed.

While the study found no significant changes in the responses of two types of cancer cell - HeLa and Jurkat - when using the nanoparticles in freezing, they did note "damaging interactions" between the nanoparticles and both sets of cells.

This raises the possibility that the nanoparticles could be used in cryosurgery, which attempts to destroy cancerous tumours inside the body using extremely low temperatures, the site said.

Dr Devireddy is an associate professor at the mechanical engineering department of LSU in Baton Rouge.

 

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