Abstract

The application of nanoparticles (NPs) as radio-sensitizers and carriers has opened up a new horizon to overcome the limitations of chemo and radiotherapy. In this study, bovine serum albumin-coated Bi(2)S(3) NPs (Bi(2)S(3)@BSA NPs) were synthesized and evaluated in terms of their ability to be used as a radio-sensitizer and carrier for methotrexate (MTX). Physicochemical properties of MTX conjugated Bi(2)S(3)@BSA NPs (Bi(2)S(3)@BSA-MTX NPs) were characterized by DLS, TEM, FTIR, UV/Vis, and XRD analyses. After the evaluation of cellular uptake and intracellular localization, the cytotoxicity of the combination of Bi(2)S(3)@BSA-MTX NPs and X-Ray radiation was analyzed against the SW480 cell line. The synthesized NPs exhibited spherical-like shapes and homogenous morphology, possessing a hydrodynamic diameter of 140.2 ± 5.71 nm (mean ± SD) and zeta potential of -25 mV. Also, the release study showed that the release of MTX is faster and higher in the presence of the proteinase K enzyme than the absence of the enzyme. The results of in-vitro chemo-radiation therapy indicated that the viability of treated cells with Bi(2)S(3)@BSA-MTX NPs is significantly lower than the cells treated with Bi(2)S(3)@BSA NPs. Furthermore, cells treated with Bi(2)S(3)@BSA-MTX NPs showed a lower degree of viability when combined with X-Ray radiation in comparison with the absence of irradiation, which confirmed the ability of the Bi(2)S(3)@BSA-MTX NPs as radio-sensitizer.