Aim: To prepare efficient metal-semiconductor nanoparticles as noninvasive, real-time imaging probes for photothermal therapy (PTT) applications. Materials & methods: A bottom-up approach was used to fabricate core-shell Ag@CuS nanoparticles (NPs). PTT and Raman mapping were done using HeLa cells. Theoretical simulation of electric field enhancement and heat dissipation density of Ag@CuS NPs was performed. Results: PTT-induced hyperthermia was achieved under 940 nm near-infrared light irradiation. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) signals of dye molecules were observed when conjugated with Ag@CuS NPs. Conclusion: Ag@CuS NPs are found to be efficient for SERS imaging and localized heating under laser irradiation, making a promising candidate for SERS-guided PTT.

Nanomaterials are proven as suitable alternatives for invasive treatments in cancer patients to help reduce the mortality rate. Thus, incorporating oncological imaging during photothermal therapy widens the scope for hybrid plasmonic nanomaterials in a noninvasive way. We present herein the synthesis of core-multishell Au@Cu 2−x S@Au nanoparticles with dual localized surface plasmon resonance in visible and near-infrared spectral regions. The plasmonically engineered nanoparticles were used in in vitro NIR-LED-based low-intensity photothermal therapy (LI-PTT) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based bioimaging. The precise temperature-induced cell apoptosis was explicitly accessed by SERS mapping after treatment. Numerical simulations were carried out on core-multishell nanoparticles to understand the electric field confinement and heat dissipation inside the nanoparticle domain. Moreover, good biocompatibility and stability of hybrid core-multishell nanoparticles make them potential candidates for possible SERS-guided LI-PTT.

In this study, bio-responsive polymeric MoS 2 nanocomposites were prepared for use as a drug carrier for cancer therapy. Herein, we report the synthesis and demonstrate the self-assembly of pluronic F127 (PF127) on a cystamine-glutathione-MoS 2 (CYS-GSH-MoS 2 ) system, which can be used for GSH-triggered drug release under biological reducing conditions. The reduction-sensitive disulfide bond containing CYS was incorporated between the amphiphilic copolymer PF127 and GSH-MoS 2 to achieve feasible drug release.Percent drug loading capacity and encapsulation efficiency were 51.3% and 56%, respectively. In addition, when the MoS 2 -GSH-CYS-PF127 nanocomposite was incubated in a GSH environment, the morphology of the nanocomposite tended to change, ultimately leading to drug release. The drug-loaded PF127-CYS-GSH-MoS 2 polymeric nanocomposites efficiently released 52% of their drug content after 72 h of incubation in a GSH reduction environment. The HeLa cells treated with DOX loaded MoS 2 -GSH-CYS-PF127 showed 38% toxicity at drug concentration of 40 mg, which indicated that the successfully released of drug from carrier and caused the cell death. Further, fluorescence microscopy images of HeLa cells revealed the potential behavior of the MoS 2 -GSH-CYS-PF12 nanocomposite during the 2-and 4 h incubation periods; the nanocomposite was only found in the cytoplasm of HeLa cells. Interestingly, after 6 h of incubation, the drug was slowly released from the nanocomposite and could enter the nucleus as confirmed by fluorescence imaging of HeLa cells. Altogether, our synthesized PF127-coated MoS 2 nanocomposite could be effectively adopted in the near future as a GSH-sensitive drug carrier.

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