Unlocking the potential: phenylboronic acid as a nuclear-targeting boron agent for neutron capture therapy

It has been proposed that boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) holds promise as a treatment modality for melanoma. However, the effectiveness of boron agents in delivery remains a critical issue to be addressed for BNCT. To this end, phenylboronic acid, which exhibits good water solubility and low cytotoxicity similar to BPA, has been investigated as a potential nuclear-targeting boron agent. The boron concentration of phenylboronic acid was found to be 74.47 ± 12.17 ng/10⁶ B16F10 cells and 45.77 ± 5.64 ng/10⁶ cells in the nuclei. Molecular docking experiments were conducted to investigate the binding of phenylboronic acid to importin proteins involved in nuclear transport. The potential of phenylboronic acid to serve as a desirable nucleus-delivery boron agent for neutron capture therapy in melanoma warrants further exploration.