Abstract

ANALYSIS OF SILVER NANOPARTICLE BY TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY (TEM) AND EVALUATION OF NANOPARTICLES UPTAKE IN TUMORS BY USING CHICK CHORIOALLANTOIC MEMBRANE (CAM) ASSAY

Sowmya S.* and Geetha Viswanathan

ABSTRACT

Nano-particles are promising anticancer agents, it provide a new mode of cancer drug delivery functioning as a carrier for entry through opening in tumor vasculature allowing direct cell access. The chicken embryo model is particularly well-suited for these in vivo analyses because chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) supports the growth of human tumors. Here we describe the use of the chicken CAM tumor model to analyze the nanoparticle uptake in tumors. Suspensions of human MCF-7 cell lines were grafted on the CAM. Morphology and size of the silver nanoparticles were investigated by using transmission electron microscope (TEM). The accumulation of nanoparticles in tumor was analysed by using UV-spectroscopy and image-J software. This technique provides a method to both visualize and quantify nanoparticle dynamics in human tumors. Hence, this model constitutes an easy and affordable system for preclinical characterization of drug loaded in nanoparticle. Application of this model will help reducing the use of human xenografts in mice for preclinical evaluation of anticancer agents.

Keywords: CAM, TEM, Nanoparticles, Xenograft.