In situ synthesis of gold nanostars within liposomes for controlled drug release and photoacoustic imaging

Abstract

This report describes the design and synthesis of gold nanostars (AuNSs) containing liposomes by the in situ reduction of gold precursor, HAuCl4 (pre-encapsulated within the liposomes) through HEPES diffusion and reduction. Compared with the conventional process that encapsulates the pre-synthesized gold nanoparticles into liposomes during the thin-film hydration step, this facile and convenient method allows the formation and simultaneous encapsulation of AuNSs within liposomes. The absorption spectra of AuNSs can be tuned between visible and near infra-red (NIR) regions by controlling the size and morphology of AuNSs through varying the concentrations of HAuCl4 and HEPES. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate the synthesis of AuNSs with a maximum absorbance at 803 nm within the temperature-sensitive liposomes. These liposomes can produce stronger photoacoustic signals (1.5 fold) in the NIR region than blood. Furthermore, when there are drugs (i.e., doxorubicin) within these liposomes, the irradiation with the NIR pulse laser will disrupt the liposomes and trigger the 100% release of these pre-encapsulated drugs within 10 seconds. In comparison, there is neglectable contrast enhancement or minor release (10%) of drugs for the pure liposomes under the same conditions. Finally, cell experiment shows the potential therapeutic application of this system. ARTICLES SCIENCE CHINA Materialstreatment. We believe this platform has the potential as a dual-modal theranostic agent since it can be used for both imaging as well as therapy with controlled drug delivery and targeting. In the future studies, we will test the capability further with an in vivo small animal model.

Fabrication of tunable hierarchical MXene@AuNPs nanocomposites constructed by self-reduction reactions with enhanced catalytic performances

“…However, it is still challenging to design and obtain MXene-based composites via facile and effective self-assembly. Alternatively, Au nanostructures and nanocomposites have shown important applications in cancer-related detection, selective photocatalysts and controlled drug release [42][43][44][45]. It is expected that a combination of MXene-based composites with gold na-noparticles could be especially advantageous, owing to controllable nanostructures and enhanced catalytic properties.…”

Macrophages loaded CpG and GNR-PEI for combination of tumor photothermal therapy and immunotherapy

“…PTT reveals rapid, efficient, and minimally invasive capacities compared with other approaches. Multiple photothermal agents have been successful developed, such as melanin [10], indocyanine green [11], carbon nanotubes [12] and gold nanomaterials [13]. Particularly, gold nanorods (GNR) -based nanoparticles have been extensively investigated in biomedicine due to their unique shape effects [8,14,15].…”

Hybrid Vesicular Drug Delivery Systems for Cancer Therapeutics

“…AuNS‐liposomes can be irradiated with a near‐infrared (NIR) pulse laser, causing a disruption of the liposome leading to the release of the encapsulated drugs. The highest cytotoxicity of DOX‐AuNS‐liposomes in comparison with AuNS‐liposomes disclosed a synergetic effect of local heating, microbubble cavitation, and DOX release ( Figure ) …”