For the past two
decades, atomic gold nanoclusters (AuNCs, ultrasmall
clusters of several to 100 gold atoms, having a total diameter of
<2 nm) have emerged as promising agents in the diagnosis and treatment
of cancer. Owing to their small size, significant quantization occurs
to their conduction band, which leads to emergent photonic properties
and the disappearance of the plasmonic responses observed in larger
gold nanoparticles. For example, AuNCs exhibit native luminescent
properties, which have been well-explored in the literature. Using
proteins, peptides, or other biomolecules as structural scaffolds
or capping ligands, required for the stabilization of AuNCs, improves
their biocompatibility, while retaining their distinct optical properties.
This paved the way for the use of AuNCs in fluorescent bioimaging,
which later developed into multimodal imaging combined with computer
tomography and magnetic resonance imaging as examples. The development
of AuNC-based systems for diagnostic applications in cancer treatment
was then made possible by employing active or passive tumor targeting
strategies. Finally, the potential therapeutic applications of AuNCs
are extensive, having been used as light-activated and radiotherapy
agents, as well as nanocarriers for chemotherapeutic drugs, which
can be bound to the capping ligand or directly to the AuNCs via different
mechanisms. In this review, we present an overview of the diverse
biomedical applications of AuNCs in terms of cancer imaging, therapy,
and combinations thereof, as well as highlighting some additional
applications relevant to biomedical research.
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