Biodegradation: Magneto‐Thermal Metrics Can Mirror the Long‐Term Intracellular Fate of Magneto‐Plasmonic Nanohybrids and Reveal the Remarkable Shielding Effect of Gold (Adv. Funct. Mater. 9/2017)

Abstract

Biodegradation of magneto‐plasmonic nanohybrids (magnetic, gold‐decorated nanoflowers) are investigated within a multi‐faceted cellular environment by Ali Abou‐Hassan, Claire Wilhelm, and co‐workers in article number 1605997. Two extreme transformations are evidenced: the gold seeds are either released from magnetic cores which almost entirely dissolve and load ferritin with free iron (left), or the gold shell almost completely protects the magnetic core from dissolution (right).

Improved Stability and Photothermal Performance of Polydopamine‐Modified Fe3O4 Nanocomposites for Highly Efficient Magnetic Resonance Imaging‐Guided Photothermal Therapy

“…Regarding therapy, magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles have been employed in magnetic hyperthermia, a tumor treatment that uses alternating magnetic fields. [ 28–33 ] Moreover, it has been demonstrated that hyperthermia is a feasible strategy that augments the effectiveness of other cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, photodynamic therapy, and chemodynamic therapy. [ 34,35 ] However, magnetic hyperthermia requires demanding conditions with high current and voltage, and its low heating efficiency inhibits its ability to generate sufficient heat to kill cancer cells, leading to an unsatisfactory treatment effect.…”

Core–Shell‐Heterostructured Magnetic–Plasmonic Nanoassemblies with Highly Retained Magnetic–Plasmonic Activities for Ultrasensitive Bioanalysis in Complex Matrix

“…The obtained nanocomposites exhibit a typical core–shell “gold‐coated magnetic” nanostructure. However, the saturation magnetization of such nanostructures dramatically decreases with the increase in the plasmonic component because of the inherent magnetic shielding effect of Au shell deposited on the IONPs' surface . Although this dilemma can be partially alleviated by reducing the plasmonic components, the corresponding plasmonic activities are largely compromised.…”

Emergence of magnetic nanoparticles in photothermal and ferroptotic therapies

“…215,216 Interestingly, quantification of the biodegradation of magnetic NPs in a close in vitro system composed of cell-spheroids indicated that they are dissolved rapidly, resulting in an all-ornothing signal obtained by magnetometry: contribution of small entities derived from the initial nanoparticles is not detectable. 217 This might have implications for its applicative potential, as the initial physicochemical properties might either be fully conserved or absent. Moreover, under specific conditions, human cells might be able to use the iron ions released over the biodegradation for the production of new magnetic nanoparticles, fully biological 218,219 that appear to arise upon weeks of cell culture.…”