Localized infrared radiation-induced hyperthermia sensitized by laser-ablated silicon nanoparticles for phototherapy applications

[Display omitted] •Laser-ablated silicon nanoparticles can be used as sensitizers for photohyperthermia.•Short excitation pulses lead to enhanced hyperthermia due to non-stationar effects.•In vitro experiments confirm the hyperthermia sensitized by silicon nanoparticles. Silicon (Si) nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized by methods of laser ablation in water are explored as sensitizers of photothermal therapy under a laser excitation in the window of relative tissue transparency. Based on theoretical calculations and experimental data, it is shown that the NPs can be heated up to temperatures above 42–50 °C by laser diode irradiation at 808 nm in continuous wave (CW) and quasi-continuous wave (QCW) regimes. Profiting from the laser-induced heating, a high efficiency Si-NPs as sensitizers of the hyperthermia of cells in Paramecium Caudatum model is demonstrated. The QCW regime is found to be more efficient, leading to complete cell destruction even under relatively mild laser irradiation conditions. The obtained data evidence a great potential in using laser-ablated Si-NPs as sensitizers of photohyperthermia in antibacterial or cancer therapy applications.