Emerging Plasmonic Assemblies Triggered by DNA for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Plasmonic gold nanocrystal represents plasmonic metal nanomaterials, and has a variety of unique and beneficial properties, such as optical signal enhancement, catalytic activity, and photothermal properties tuned by local temperature, which are useful in physical, chemical, and biological applications. In addition, the inherent properties of predictable programmability, sequence specificity, and structural plasticity provide DNA nanostructures with precise controllability, spatial addressability, and targeting recognition, serving as ideal ligands to link or position building blocks during the self‐assembly process. Self‐assembly is a common technique for the organization of prefabricated and discrete nanoparticle blocks for the construction of extremely sophisticated nanocomposites. To this end, the integration of DNA nanotechnology with Au nanomaterials, followed by assembly of DNA‐functionalized Au nanomaterials can form novel functional Au nanomaterials that are difficult to obtain through conventional methods. Here, recent progress in DNA‐assembled Au nanostructures of various shapes is summarized, and their functions are discussed. The fabrication strategies that employ DNA for the self‐assembly of Au nanostructures, including dimers, tetramers, satellites, nanochains, and other nanostructures with more complex geometric configurations are first described. Then, the characteristic optical properties and applications of biosensing, bioimaging, drug delivery, and therapy are discussed. Finally, the remaining challenges and prospects are elucidated.

Driving Forces Sorted In Situ Size‐Increasing Strategy for Enhanced Tumor Imaging and Therapy

“…Owing to the unique properties of DNA, it has been used as an ideal motif to decorate the NPs for building various aggregates with a predictable and precise function, [68] which would contribute to the improved resolution and sensitivity of diagnostics, subsequently effectively guiding therapy. [69,70] Zhang's group reported a work of in situ self-aggregation of NIR-II nanoprobes for improving image-guided cancer surgery (Figure 7a). The downconversion NPs (DCNPs) were modified with complementary DNA (L1 or L2) and targeting peptides (follicle-stimulating hormone [FSH β ]) to form DCNPs-L1-FSH β as well as DCNPs-L2-FSH β .…”

Activated aggregation strategies to construct size‐increasing nanoparticles for cancer therapy

“…DNA hybridization is based on the principle that the double‐helix structure of DNA must be complementary, using a special sequence of single‐stranded DNA (or RNA) fragment to interact with another single‐stranded DNA with complementary base pairs under appropriate conditions to combine the two into a stable double‐stranded DNA (Ou et al, 2018; Zhu et al, 2021). In recent years, DNA hybridization has been widely used to construct aggregates with various morphologies and functions in vitro (Boal et al, 2000; Ou et al, 2018).…”

“…Nanoparticles could be modified with DNA to construct various types of aggregates that could be used for disease diagnosis and image guiding therapy (Ou et al, 2018; Xu et al, 2021; Zhu et al, 2021). For instance, Nie et al constructed a metalloproteinase (MMP)‐responsive gold nanoparticles (PEG‐pep‐Dox‐AuNPs) which could form aggregates in vivo based on DNA hybridization for cancer therapy (Figure 9; Yang, et al, 2019).…”

A cysteine-induced one-pot synthesis of Au nanoparticle chains with tuneable NIR absorption and application in photothermal-chemo cancer therapy

“…[28][29][30][31] Among these, 1D Au nanoparticle chains (AuNCs) have attracted considerable attention due to their potential applications in optics, electronics and biomedicine. [32][33][34] In general, the approaches for preparing the 1D AuNCs could be classified into two categories: one is the linear-template method and the other is the template-free self-assembly method. 34,35 For most of the linear-template methods, the already prepared nanoparticles were first modified with linear molecular templates such as DNA, peptides, and polymers and inorganic wires, and then the assembly to form a 1D structure was introduced through the interaction of template molecules.…”

“…[32][33][34] In general, the approaches for preparing the 1D AuNCs could be classified into two categories: one is the linear-template method and the other is the template-free self-assembly method. 34,35 For most of the linear-template methods, the already prepared nanoparticles were first modified with linear molecular templates such as DNA, peptides, and polymers and inorganic wires, and then the assembly to form a 1D structure was introduced through the interaction of template molecules. [36][37][38] In addition, oriented aggregation, electric-dipole moments, magnetic dipole moments, nonuniform stabilizer distributions were usually applied as the driving force of the template-free self-assembly method.…”