Rationally designed dual-plasmonic gold nanorod@cuprous selenide hybrid heterostructures by regioselective overgrowth for in vivo photothermal tumor ablation in the second near-infrared biowindow

Abstract

NIR-II plasmonic materials offer multiple functionalities for in vivo biomedical applications, such as photothermal tumor ablation, surface-enhanced Raman scattering biosensing, photoacoustic imaging, and drug carriers. However, integration of noble metals and plasmonic semiconductors is greatly challenging because of the large lattice-mismatch. This study reports the regioselective overgrowth of Cu 2-x Se on gold nanorods (GNRs) for preparation of dual-plasmonic GNR@Cu 2-x Se hybrid heterostructures with tunable NIR-II plasmon resonance absorption for in vivo photothermal tumor ablation. Methods: The regioselective deposition of amorphous Se and its subsequent conversion into Cu 2-x Se on the GNRs are performed by altering capping agents to produce the GNR@Cu 2-x Se heterostructures of various morphologies. Their photothermal performances for NIR-II photothermal tumor ablation are evaluated both in vitro and in vivo . Results: We find that the lateral one- and two-side deposition, conformal core-shell coating and island growth of Cu 2-x Se on the GNRs can be achieved using different capping agents. The Cu 2-x Se domain size in these hybrids can be effectively adjusted by the SeO 2 concentration, thereby tuning the NIR-II plasmon bands. A photothermal conversion efficiency up to 58-85% and superior photostability of these dual-plasmonic hybrids can be achieved under the NIR-II laser. Results also show that the photothermal conversion efficiency is dependent on the proportion of optical absorption converted into heat; however, the temperature rise is tightly related to the concentration of their constituents. The excellent NIR-II photothermal effect is further verified in the following in vitro and in vivo experiments. Conclusions: This study achieves one-side or two-side deposition, conformal core-shell coating, and island deposition of Cu 2-x Se on GNRs for GNR@Cu 2-x Se heterostructures with NIR-II plasmonic absorption, and further demonstrates their excellent NIR-II photothermal tumor ablation in vivo . This study provides a promising strategy for the rational design of NIR-II dual-plasmonic heterostructures and highlights their therapeutic in vivo potential.

A plasmon-enhanced theranostic nanoplatform for synergistic chemo-phototherapy of hypoxic tumors in the NIR-II window

“…Noble metal nanoparticles (NPs), such as Au, Pd, and Pt, have attracted extensive attention in the therapeutic field owing to their tunable localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) characteristics, good biocompatibility, strong NIR light absorption and enzyme-like activity across the visible and near-infrared spectral range. [23][24][25][26][27][28] It was well known that the incident light on plasmonic metal nanoparticles could excite localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), which leads to strong enhancement of the electromagnetic field and energetic charge carrier generation. 29,30 Importantly, the generated energetic charges can promote the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by both chemical and energy transformation process, and release the heat through non-radiative transition process, attaching the plasmonic nanostructures with the photodynamic and photothermal properties.…”

Controlled Growth of Hierarchical Bi2Se3/CdSe‐Au Nanorods with Optimized Photothermal Conversion and Demonstrations in Photothermal Therapy

“…Plasmonic Au NRs have been proven as good photothermal converters through Landau damping, hot electron generation, and heat dissipation to environment. [ 38–41 ] According to Chang's theoretical calculation and experimental demonstration, [ 29 ] Bi 2 Se 3 /CdSe semiconductor heterojunction with type‐II band alignment could effectively separate electrons and holes in spatial and then inhabitate raiative recombination of photo‐excited carriers, promoting heat generation. When a Bi 2 Se 3 /CdSe heterojunction is placed at the plasmonic hotspots of Au NRs, plasmon‐induced local field enhancement can enhance its absorption and photo‐excited electron‐hole pairs.…”

Ansamitocin P3-Loaded Gold-NanoCage Conjugated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor to Enhance Photo-Chemo-Thermal Maturation of Dendritic Cells for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

“…The results showed that the PTCE of both AuNCs and AP3-AuNCs was higher than gold nanorods (GNRs) and organic nanoparticle under the 808 nm-laser. This illustrated that AP3-AuNCs can facilitate the photothermal ablation of cancer cells [ 32 , 33 ]. Further, AP3 drug release from AP3-AuNCs can be further triggered and promoted by using 808 nm laser irradiation at 1 W/cm 2 .…”