Abstract

Background: Some materials such as TiO2 display a luminescence property when exposed to X-ray radiation. Therefore, a proper photosensitizer can induce photodynamic effects by absorbing the emitted photons from these materials during radiotherapy. In this way, the problem of limited photo- penetration depth in photodynamic therapy is resolved. In this paper, following the production of a nanopolymer containing TiO2 cores and imprinted for mitoxantron (MIP), the possibility of utilizing its optical and radio properties on two lines of cancer cells were studied. Methods: Mitoxantron (MX) was selected as the photosensitizer. The emission spectrum of the nanopolymers synthesized with/without MX was recorded during excitation by 6 MV X-rays. Also, the fluorescence signal of hydroxyl radicals produced into terephthalic acid medium by the nanopolymers were recorded during X irradiation. The percentage of cell survival following irradiation by X-rays was determined for various concentrations of drug agents by MTT assay. The synergistic index and IC50 were calculated to compare the findings. Results: The emission spectrum of the nanopolymer reloaded with MX during X-ray irradiation indicated a considerable decline in comparison with the nanopolymer without MX. The level of free radicals produced by nanopolymer was significantly increased during irradiation with X-rays. The highest mean of synergistic indexes was observed in MIP. Conclusion: The higher level of hydroxyl free radicals in MIP and lower cell viability in the DFW cell line as well as enhanced treatment efficiency confirm the hypothesis regarding the production of photodynamic effects by synthesized nanopolymer during radiotherapy.