Stable Hybrid Nanocapsules with Gold Nanorods and Cyanine Dyes for Near‐Infrared Photothermal Ablation of Subcutaneous Tumor

Abstract

Gold nanorods and cyanine dyes are promising to be widely used in photothermal therapy due to their adjustable absorption wavelength and excellent photothermal conversion efficiency. However, it is unclear how gold nanorods differ from cyanine dyes in therapeutic effects. Nanocapsules are synthesized from hybrid silica encapsulated gold nanorods (AuNRs@YSiO2, hereafter GNR@YS). Composite nanocapsules (hereafter GNR@YS‐CyN) are prepared from GNR@YS loaded with CyN to treat subcutaneous tumor. Cyanine dye (CyCl) with similar absorption to gold nanorods is also synthesized to match the existing commercial 808 nm laser. The results show that both materials have good therapeutic effect, but differ in healing scabs on skin tissue surface after tumor ablation. GNR@YS‐CyN are superior to CyCl in the treatment of subcutaneous tumor. This may be the size effect of GNR@YS‐CyN has permeability and retention enhancement effect at the tumor site. GNR@YS‐CyN have no obvious dye diffusion phenomenon, which reduces the damage to normal tissue.