Multifunctional Magneto-Plasmonic Fe3O4/Au Nanocomposites: Approaching Magnetophoretically-Enhanced Photothermal Therapy

Abstract

Magneto-plasmonic nanocomposites can possess properties inherent to both individual components (iron oxide and gold nanoparticles) and are reported to demonstrate high potential in targeted drug delivery and therapy. Herein, we report on Fe3O4/Au magneto-plasmonic nanocomposites (MPNC) synthesized with the use of amino acid tryptophan via chemical and photochemical reduction of Au ions in the presence of nanosized magnetite. The magnetic field (MF) induced aggregation was accompanied by an increase in the absorption in the near-infrared (NIR) spectral region, which was demonstrated to provide an enhanced photothermal (PT) effect under NIR laser irradiation (at 808 nm). A possibility for therapeutic application of the MPNC was illustrated using cancer cells in vitro. Cultured HeLa cells were treated by MPNC in the presence of MF and without it, following laser irradiation and imaging using confocal laser scanning microscopy. After scanning laser irradiation of the MPNC/MF treated cells, a formation and rise of photothermally-induced microbubbles on the cell surfaces was observed, leading to a damage of the cell membrane and cell destruction. We conclude that the synthesized magneto-plasmonic Fe3O4/Au nanosystems exhibit magnetic field-induced reversible aggregation accompanied by an increase in NIR absorption, allowing for an opportunity to magnetophoretically control and locally enhance a NIR light-induced thermal effect, which holds high promise for the application in photothermal therapy.

Iron–Gold Nanoflowers: A Promising Tool for Multimodal Imaging and Hyperthermia Therapy

“…In fact, improved diagnostic accuracy has been demonstrated using MCNP-mediated multimodal imaging [ 38 , 39 ], as well as increased patient safety by reducing the amount of CAs injected. Combined therapies are an area attracting considerable attention for the treatment of numerous pathologies [ 40 , 41 , 42 ]. It is worth noting that, since MCNPs frequently present different composition surfaces, it is possible to introduce multiple functionalizations, each with specific active molecules and distinct biological activities [ 43 ].…”

The extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from water samples with aromatic-dithiocarbamate modified magnetic nanoparticles

“…To improve the extraction efficiency of Fe 3 O 4 NPs, numerous coatings including hemimicelles of alkyl carboxylates, SiO 2 , graphene, gold, polymer and carbon have been introduced for the modification of Fe 3 O 4 NPs (Ballesteros-Gomez & Rubio 2009;Zhang et al 2010;Mashhadizadeh & Karami 2011;Zhu et al 2012;Tarkistani et al 2021). Among them, gold has been found to be an ideal material for the modification of magnetic materials due to its easy reductive synthesis method, excellent chemical stability, and potential for further modification with Au-S bonds (Zhao et al 2005(Zhao et al , 2008Archana et al 2021;Chen et al 2021;Ma et al 2021;Mukha et al 2021).…”

A magnetic antibody-conjugated nano-system for selective delivery of Ca(OH)2 and taxotere in ovarian cancer cells

“…Recently, we have studied the synergistic therapeutic effects of applying magnetic direction of the cargos to the targeted tissue and controlled release of Taxotere (TXT) by plasmonic photothermal stimulation of the AuNPs 30 . The AuNPs play a dual-edged role in the cancer therapy: (1) tumor metastasis inhibition that is considered as a biological function 31 , and (2) plasmonic photothermal therapy (PPTT) that is implemented through an exclusive capability of the AuNPs calling LSPR effect (LSPR stands for localized surface plasmonic resonance), and is considered as a physicochemical property of the AuNPs 32 , 33 .…”