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Effects of Square Electrical Pulses on Forcing Silver Nanoparticles into Cancer Cells: a Simulation Study

Mirshahi, Salim | 2016

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  1. Type of Document: M.Sc. Thesis
  2. Language: English
  3. Document No: 48492 (58)
  4. University: Sharif University of Technology, International Campus, Kish Island
  5. Department: Science and Engineering
  6. Advisor(s): Saeedi, Mohammad Saeed; Sani, Mahdi
  7. Abstract:
  8. In recent decades, metal nanoparticles have been used in medicine for example in cancer treatment. There have always been debates on the nanoparticles specifications such as particle size, amount of surface charge and the particle material. Meanwhile, the study on selecting appropriate properties of nanoparticles for this purpose is very essential and expensive in medical science. In order to access the best efficiency and the least mortality of the patients in treatments, simulation studies can support the medical scientists. In this thesis, the goal is to study transferring nanoparticles as a drug or included drugs through created hypothetical micro-channels in cancerous cells membrane. Silver nanoparticle (SNP) has been selected as the drug, because it has shown cytotoxicity on the cancerous cells. In this work, we study the transport of nanoparticles through cell membrane using simulation. The main feature of this work is that the simulation will take into account electroporation; the process of enhancing nanoparticle intake by applying external electric field. We will consider square electric pulses because of their common use in electroporation. MCF-7 Breast adenocarcinoma (an adherent cell) was used. After trypsinization, this cell will be detached and suspended in culture medium. The designed protocols were applied through two steps on the cells. At the first, the transmembrane potential on any point of cell surface was determined using Finite Element Method by COMSOL software.In the second stage, the threshold value of transmembrane potential on cell surface was determined using Molecular Dynamic Method using GROMACS software. Altogether, A POPC bilayer ( was chosen for this work because it is well studied experimentally and computationally) and transmembrane potential on the cell surface using several parameters such as surface capacitance, surface resistance as well as electrical conductivity of the cytoplasm, relative permittivity of the cell cytoplasm and medium and medium conductivity were analyzed and calculated.
  9. Keywords:
  10. Electrical Field ; Silver Nanoparticles ; Molecular Dynamic Simulation ; Finite Element Method ; Cancer Cells ; Transmembrane Potential

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