Laser-Assisted Photothermal Therapy with Gold-Decorated Titanium Dioxide Nanotubes: A Cytotoxicity Evaluation in Colon Cancer Cells

Abstract

Au nanoparticles (NPs) successfully anchored on TiO₂ nanotubes (NTs) by electrochemical anodization method. The aim was to evaluate the efficiency of laser-assisted photothermal therapy using gold-decorated titanium dioxide nanotubes across varying doses and concentrations. Then, the survival of colon cancer cells (SW480) was tested in an environment with different concentrations of AuNPs decorated TiO₂ NTs with/without laser exposure at 532 and 808 nm in different times. A dose-dependent behavior was observed in cell viability of colon cancer cells treated with AuNPs-TiO₂ NTs under irradiation of laser. The effect depends on the concentration of nanoparticles, laser wavelength and the duration of laser irradiation. Specifically, infrared laser exposure (808nm) proved to be highly effective. In contrast, green laser exposure (532nm) showed only a minimal impact on cell survival. The findings collectively demonstrate that AuNPs-TiO₂ significantly impacts the viability of SW480 cancer cells, with the therapeutic effect being highly dependent on the concentration of nanoparticles and, critically, the wavelength and duration of laser irradiation, highlighting the superior efficacy of infrared light.