Silver nanoparticles: a novel radiation sensitizer for glioma?

Malignant gliomas are the most common primary intracranial tumors with a dismal prognosis. Previous investigations by our group demonstrated the radiosensitizing effect of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on glioma cells in vitro. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of intratumoral administration of AgNPs in combination with a single dose of ionizing radiation at clinically relevant MV energies for the treatment of C6 glioma-bearing rats. AgNPs (10 or 20 μg/10 μl) were stereotactically administered on day 8 after tumor implantation. One day after AgNP injection, rats bearing glioma received 10 Gy radiation. The mean survival times were 100.5 and 98 days, the corresponding percent increase in life spans was 513.2% and 497.7%, and the cure rates were 41.7 and 38.5% at 200 days for the 10 and 20 μg AgNPs and radiation combination groups, respectively. In contrast, the mean survival times for irradiated controls, 10 and 20 μg AgNPs alone, and untreated controls were 24.5, 16.1, 19.4, and 16.4 days, respectively. Furthermore, a cooperative antiproliferative and proapoptotic effect was obtained when gliomas were treated with AgNPs followed by radiotherapy. Our results showed the therapeutic efficacy of AgNPs in combination with radiotherapy without apparent systemic toxicity, suggesting the clinical potential of AgNPs in improving the outcome of malignant glioma radiotherapy.