Photothermal Therapy Using TiO2 Nanofragments in Combination with Near-Infrared Laser

초록

We report the in vivo animal test results of titanium oxide nanotubes (TiO2 NTs) as a potential therapeutic agent used for cancer thermotherapy in combination with near-infrared (NIR) light. Our results show that tumor cells can be completely destroyed without nearly giving damage to surrounding healthy cells by an injection of an adequate amount of TiO2 NTs/NaCl suspension and a subsequent single continuous laser treatment at a moderately low laser illumination intensity for the exposure time optimized for the tumor size. These results suggest that TiO2 NTs can be effectively utilized as a therapeutic agent for cancer thermotherapy due to their excellent photothermal property and high biocompatibility.