NIR-Excitable PEG-Modified Au Nanorods for Photothermal Therapy of Cervical Cancer

Abstract

Gold (Au) nanorods (NRs) have been extensively used in applications in biomedical fields, thanks to their adjustable optical and stable chemical properties. Especially for the photothermal therapy (PTT) of cancer, Au NRs show an excellent thermal effect in the near-infrared (NIR) light range. However, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), which has been traditionally widely used for the synthesis of Au NRs, is generally cytotoxic. Surface modification is one of the ideal nanotechnologies to reduce toxicity and enhance the biocompatibility of CTAB-stabilized Au NRs. Herein, we designed an NIR-I-excitable photothermal theranostic nanoplatform Au@PEG NRs via modifying Au NRs with [1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[methoxy­(polyethyleneglycol)]] (molecular weight: 2000; DSPE-mPEG2000). The results show that due to the PEG-layer protection, Au@PEG NRs exhibit superior biocompatibility (cell survival rate > 90%) and chemical stability. Meanwhile, Au@PEG NRs exhibited excellent biocompatibility via a hemolysis test, blood routine assays, and histological examinations (H&E). The absorption spectra of Au@PEG NRs showed a negligible change in the different pH (5.5–7.5) solutions, and the in vitro maximum heat dissipation photothermal conversion efficiency was 36.83%. In vivo PTT effects of Au@PEG NRs on a cervical tumor can reach 58.8 °C. The intracellular localization suggests the efficient cellular uptake of Au@PEG NRs. The fact that in vitro Au@PEG NRs assisted PTT under laser irradiation (793 nm) extremely ablates HeLa cells. The ultrastable Au@PEG NRs have significant potential for PTT application of cervical cancer.

Photothermal-Effect-Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting in MXene-Nanosheet-Modified ZnO Nanorod Arrays

“…It is well-known that photothermal materials include some metals (e.g., Au and Ag), , semiconductors (e.g., Co 3 O 4 and Fe 3 O 4 ), , organic polymers (e.g., polyaniline and polypyrrole), , carbon materials (e.g., carbon quantum dot and graphene), , and MXenes (e.g., Ti 3 C 2 T x ) . These photothermal materials have been widely applied in photothermal therapy and catalysis, which generally convert optical energy into thermal energy in one of the three ways, namely, plasmonic localized heating, nonradiative relaxation, and thermal vibration in molecules .…”

NIR/pH Dual-Responsive DOX-Loaded AuNRs@S-β-CD Nanocomposite for Highly Effective Chemo-photothermal Synergistic Therapy against Lung Cancer Cells

“…This spectral range with wavelengths from 650 to 950 nm is called the first therapeutic window. 57 Among the different shapes of Au nanoparticles used in PTT, gold nanorods (AuNRs) have been widely investigated for cancer therapy due to their controllable size, unique rodlike shape, and tunable surface plasmon resonance (SPR) characteristic to convert near-infrared (NIR) light into local heat, 51 with their facility for surface functionalization for tumor targeting and excellent biocompatibility. 58−60 Nevertheless, photothermal therapy for cancer treatment with AuNRs has a number of limitations.…”

“…Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) such as gold nanorods, nanospheres, nanocubes, nanoshells, nanocages, nanostars, etc. with high optical absorption in the near-infrared (NIR) region have attracted much attention for cancer photothermal therapy. − NIR light allows for greater depth penetration with minimal absorption, and scattering through tissue, than do shorter wavelengths in the visible region. This spectral range with wavelengths from 650 to 950 nm is called the first therapeutic window …”

Photothermal and Photodynamic Therapy of Tumors with Plasmonic Nanoparticles: Challenges and Prospects

“…AuNRs were incorporated into mesoporous silica [97,98], biodegradable polymeric matrix [99], and liposomes to facilitate the targeted release of ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes [100]. For more detailed information, the readers are referred to resent original papers [101][102][103][104][105][106][107][108][109] and related citations in recent reviews [77,[110][111][112][113][114][115].…”