Amphiphilic Aminated [60] Fullerene Potentiates Radiofrequency Ablation for Synergistic Cancer Treatment.

Introduction: Local recurrence and distant metastasis of residual neoplasms can be facilitated by incomplete radiofrequency ablation (iRFA), posing a major obstacle to clinical management. At present, combining nanotechnology with RFA to address the inherent limitations of RFA treatment has emerged as a promising therapeutic paradigm. Amphiphilic aminated derivative of [60] fullerene (TAPC), a nanomaterial with superior performance, exerts a potent inhibitory effect on tumor growth and metastasis. This study investigated the efficacy of fullerene augmented thermal ablation, offering a new therapeutic approach for nanomedicine enhanced RFA antitumor therapy. Results: At sublethal temperatures in vitro, TAPC demonstrated potent anti-proliferative activity against tumor cells and effectively facilitated tumor cell apoptotic processes. Meanwhile, TAPC inhibited heat induced migration of tumor cells in vitro, thereby effectively suppressing tumor recurrence and metastasis. Mechanistically, TAPC markedly downregulated the expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70). Discussion: Overall, this work demonstrates that fullerenes are a category of exceptionally promising nanopotentiators, which can markedly potentiate the antitumor activity of RFA and offer a brand-new therapeutic paradigm for nanomedicine-augmented thermal ablation-based cancer treatment.