RGD-modified dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase conjugated to titanium dioxide nanoparticles - integrin-targeted photodynamic treatment of melanoma cells.

The photocytotoxic effect of UVA-excited titanium dioxide (TiO), which is caused by the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), is often used in medical applications, such as cancer treatment. Photodynamic-therapy (PDT) is applied in several cancer models including cutaneous melanoma (CM), however the lack of selectivity causing damage to surrounding healthy tissues limits its applicability and novel targeted-delivery approaches are required. As cancer cells often overexpress integrin receptors ( αvβ) on their cell surface, targeted delivery of TiO nanoparticles (NPs) an Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) motif would make PDT more selective.