Story by Joseph Shavit (translated using Google Translate)
在一项突破性发现中，莱斯大学的科学家及其合作者揭示了一种对抗癌细胞的非凡方法。
这种创新技术利用近红外光引起的分子振动的力量来摧毁癌细胞，为抗击癌症带来了新的希望。
研究小组的突破集中在使用一种常用于医学成像的小染料分子。当受到近红外光照射时，这些分子会表现出同步振动，称为等离子体，从而导致癌细胞膜破裂。
发表在《自然化学》杂志上的研究结果显示，在消除实验室培养的人类黑色素瘤细胞方面，其有效性高达 99%，一半患有黑色素瘤的小鼠在治疗后完全缓解。
莱斯大学化学家 James Tour 将这些非凡的分子称为“分子风镐”。他的团队之前曾使用纳米级化合物，这种化合物配备了光激活的桨状原子链，可以穿透和拆除传染性细菌、癌细胞和耐药真菌的外膜。
与诺贝尔奖获得者伯纳德·费林加的分子马达不同，这些分子马达依靠不同的机制，其运行速度比后者快一百万倍以上，并且对近红外光有反应，这一成就被认为是前所未有的。
近红外光的一个主要优势是它能够深入人体而不会对组织造成伤害。图尔解释说：“近红外光可以深入人体 10 厘米（约 4 英寸），而我们用来激活纳米钻头的可见光的穿透深度只有半厘米（约 0.2 英寸）。这是一个巨大的进步。”
促成这一医学突破的分子风镐是氨基菁分子，这是一类广泛用于医学成像的合成染料。
这些分子虽然简单，但具有出色的生物相容性、水稳定性和附着在细胞外脂质层上的亲和力。然而，直到这项研究之前，它们作为等离子体发挥作用的潜力尚未得到开发。
主要作者 Ciceron Ayala-Orozco 解释说：“由于它们的结构和化学性质，这些分子的原子核在受到适当的刺激时可以同步振荡。我认为有必要利用等离子体的特性作为一种治疗形式，并对 Tour 博士处理癌细胞的机械方法很感兴趣。我基本上把这些点联系起来了。”
研究人员发现，分子等离子体具有近乎对称的结构，其臂有助于将分子锚定在细胞膜的脂质双层上，从而有助于提高其有效性。
至关重要的是，这项研究证实了这种作用方式不属于光动力或光热疗法的范畴。Ayala-Orozco 强调说：“这是首次以这种方式利用分子等离子体来激发整个分子并实际产生用于实现特定目标的机械作用 — — 在这种情况下，就是撕裂癌细胞的膜。”
为了进一步了解造成这种“风镐”效应的分子特征，由 Jorge Seminario 领导的德克萨斯农工大学的研究人员进行了时间依赖性密度泛函理论分析。
同时，对小鼠的癌症研究是与德克萨斯大学 MD 安德森癌症中心头颈外科系教授兼主任 Jeffrey Myers 博士合作进行的。
分子风镐的发现为正在进行的抗癌斗争开辟了一条有希望的道路，提供了一种在分子水平上针对癌细胞的新方法。
凭借其卓越的效率和微创性，这一突破可能会彻底改变癌症治疗，为患者和研究人员带来新的希望。科学的“良好振动”确实为抗击癌症带来了新的乐观浪潮。
In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists from Rice University and their collaborators have unveiled a remarkable approach to combat cancer cells.
This innovative technique leverages the power of molecular vibrations induced by near-infrared light to destroy cancerous cells, offering new hope in the fight against cancer.
The research team's breakthrough centers on the use of a small dye molecule commonly employed in medical imaging. When subjected to near-infrared light, these molecules exhibit synchronized vibrations, referred to as plasmons, which lead to the rupture of cancer cell membranes.
The research findings, published in Nature Chemistry, revealed an incredible 99% effectiveness in eliminating lab-cultured human melanoma cells, with half of the melanoma-afflicted mice experiencing complete remission after treatment.
Rice chemist James Tour coined these remarkable molecules as "molecular jackhammers." His team had previously employed nanoscale compounds, equipped with light-activated paddle-like chains of atoms, to penetrate and dismantle the outer membranes of infectious bacteria, cancer cells, and drug-resistant fungi.
Unlike the Nobel laureate Bernard Feringa's molecular motors, which rely on a different mechanism, these molecular jackhammers operate at speeds over a million times faster and respond to near-infrared light, an achievement deemed unprecedented.
One of the key advantages of near-infrared light is its ability to penetrate deep within the human body without causing harm to tissues. Tour explained, "Near-infrared light can go as deep as 10 centimeters (~ 4 inches) into the human body as opposed to only half a centimeter (~ 0.2 inches), the depth of penetration for visible light, which we used to activate the nanodrills. It is a huge advance."
The molecular jackhammers responsible for this medical breakthrough are aminocyanine molecules, a class of synthetic dyes extensively used in medical imaging.
These molecules, despite their simplicity, have remarkable biocompatibility, water stability, and an affinity for attaching to the outer lipid layer of cells. Yet, until this study, their potential to function as plasmons had gone untapped.
Lead author Ciceron Ayala-Orozco explained, "Due to their structure and chemical properties, the nuclei of these molecules can oscillate in sync when exposed to the right stimulus. I saw a need to use the properties of plasmons as a form of treatment and was interested in Dr. Tour's mechanical approach to dealing with cancer cells. I basically connected the dots."
The researchers identified that the molecular plasmons had a near-symmetrical structure with an arm that aided in anchoring the molecule to the lipid bilayer of the cell membrane, contributing to their effectiveness.
Crucially, the study established that this method of action does not fit into the categories of photodynamic or photothermal therapy. Ayala-Orozco emphasized, "This is the first time a molecular plasmon is utilized in this way to excite the whole molecule and to actually produce mechanical action used to achieve a particular goal ⎯ in this case, tearing apart cancer cells' membrane."
To further understand the molecular features responsible for this "jackhammering" effect, researchers at Texas A&M University led by Jorge Seminario conducted time-dependent density functional theory analysis.
Meanwhile, the cancer studies on mice were carried out in collaboration with Dr. Jeffrey Myers, professor and chair of the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
The discovery of molecular jackhammers opens a promising avenue in the ongoing battle against cancer, offering a novel approach that targets cancer cells at the molecular level.
With its remarkable efficiency and minimal invasiveness, this breakthrough could potentially revolutionize cancer treatment, providing renewed hope for patients and researchers alike. The "Good Vibrations" of science have indeed brought a new wave of optimism to the fight against cancer.