奈米鑽石刀獵殺癌症細胞之分子機制

Abstract

現今奈米生物科技是個很熱門的研究領域，主要是因為當某材料的空間中尺寸達到100 nm以下時，其物理及化學特性相較於一般塊材會有所改變，而奈米鑽石也不例外。早期的奈米鑽石多用於機械上的工業加工或是表面處理，但有近來之研究發現奈米鑽石具有螢光特性，可當作生物分子的追蹤器(bio-tracer)；並有其他文獻指出奈米鑽石不具有細胞毒性且能進行表面官能基的修飾，因此奈米鑽石更具有跨足生醫領域的潛能。而奈米鑽石在吸收奈秒脈衝雷射能量後，其內部的官能基會由-C-N=O裂解成-C ﹢N≡O，更近一步來說，也就是奈米鑽石吸收了能量產生了熱聲子效應，使得鑽石間的軌域由鑽石的核心結構sp3轉變成石墨的結構sp2就由如爆炸一般。因此利用奈米鑽石吸收能量具有爆炸的特性，且結合一生長激素蛋白，使具有大量表現生長激素受體的癌症細胞與奈米鑽石-生長激素附合體結合，再搭配雷射能量系統使得奈米鑽石爆炸，並隨後引發一連串的細胞凋亡反應。而本實驗利用聲子所引起的奈米級爆炸，猶如奈米刀般應用在奈米級生物醫學治療上。

Nano biotechnology is a cutting edge reseach, recently. ”Nano” is definited the length under 100 nm and the physical and chemical properties are quite different than its bulk material. Nanodiamond (ND) surrounds with layers of graphite on its surface. This unique structure feature creates unusual fluorescence spectra which can be used as an indicator to monitor its surface modification. Meanwhile, it contains nitrosol (-C-N=O) inside the ND and this impurity can absorb nanosecond laser radiation to cleavage the -C-N=O chemical functional group into -C ﹢N≡O. Moreover, the NO gas molecules are heated by hot phonon of ND and generate huge pressure inside the diamond core to facilitate the sp3 diamond core transforming into sp2 graphite structure as a nano-blast. Therefore, the growth hormone receptor (GHR) of cell surface can be destroyed by growth hormone conjugated-ND (NDGH) and then be triggered the process of cell apoptosis. This photo-trigger nanoblast can be used as nano-knifes in nano-medicine application.