Multifunctional Gold Nanorods for siRNA Gene Silencing and Photothermal Therapy

Abstract

Cancer is a complex disease that usually requires several treatment modalities. Here, we have designed a multifunctional nanotherapeutic system incorporating small interfering RNA (siRNA) and gold nanorods for photothermal therapy. Surface engineered gold nanorods with polyethylenimine were synthesized using a layer-by-layer assembly and siRNA was absorbed on the surface. The siRNA was efficiently delivered into breast cancer cells, resulting in subsequent gene silencing. Cells were then irradiated with near-infrared (NIR) light, causing heat-induced anticancer activity. The combination of gene silencing and photothermal therapy resulted in effective inhibition of cell proliferation.

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

“…The strong photothermal effect appeared after intravenous injection of GNR-PEI/CpG-laden-macrophages under NIR light irradiation, thus conducing to the photothermal elimination of tumors and minimizing the metastasis and recurrence. Shen et al [36] demonstrated that GNRs modified with cationic carrier achieved both transfection performance and photothermal effect. Whereas, the risk brought from PEI25k mainly restricted its further application.…”

Chitosan layered gold nanorods as synergistic therapeutics for photothermal ablation and gene silencing in triple-negative breast cancer

“…Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-Au NRs were synthesized by a seed-mediated growth method [13]. The precipitate was re-dispersed in deionized water.…”

“…CTAB-Au NRs were synthesized as previously described through a seed-mediated growth method [13]. A three step procedure to obtain the final hybrid and multifunctional Chit-Au NRs platform via a well-developed layer-by-layer assembly approach is shown in Scheme 1A.…”

“…Recent studies indicate that metallic nanoparticles are useful for nanomedicine applications owing to their optical and electronic properties [13]. Especially gold nanoparticles show great promise due to biocompatibility, photothermal responsiveness, and ease of preparation and modification.…”

“…Especially gold nanoparticles show great promise due to biocompatibility, photothermal responsiveness, and ease of preparation and modification. In particular, gold nanorods (Au NRs) have been extensively used for biomedical applications, including photothermal therapy, drug delivery, and biosensing [13][14][15][16][17][18][19].…”