Near Infrared Laser-Induced Targeted Cancer Therapy Using Thermoresponsive Polymer Encapsulated Gold Nanorods

Abstract

External stimuli, such as ultrasound, magnetic field, and light, can be applied to activate in vivo tumor targeting. Herein, we fabricated polymer encapsulated gold nanorods to couple the photothermal properties of gold nanorods and the thermo- and pH-responsive properties of polymers in a single nanocomposite. The activation mechamism was thus transformed from heat to near-infrared (NIR) laser, which can be more easily controlled. Doxorubicin, a clinical anticancer drug, can be loaded into the nanocomposite through electrostatic interactions with high loading content up to 24%. The nanocomposite's accumulation in tumor post systematic administration can be significantly enhanced by NIR laser irradiation, providing a prerequisite for their therapeutic application which almost completely inhibited tumor growth and lung metastasis. Since laser can be manipulated very precisely and flexibly, the nanocomposite provides an ideally versatile platform to simultaneously deliver heat and anticancer drugs in a laser-activation mechanism with facile control of the area, time, and dosage. The NIR laser-induced targeted cancer thermo-chemotherapy without using targeting ligands represents a novel targeted anticancer strategy with facile control and practical efficacy.

Enzyme/pH-sensitive dendritic polymer-DOX conjugate for cancer treatment

“…Prolonged retention of dendritic conjugate in the blood circulation system without clearance from the body is essential for efficient targeted delivery and favorable therapeutic effect [46]. The pharmacokinetics of free DOX and dendritic conjugate were investigated in tumorfree Balb/c mice following bolus intravenous injection of both drug formulations.…”

A surface plasmon enhanced FLIM-FRET imaging approach based on Au nanoparticles

“…Due to their unique physical and chemical properties, gold nanoparticles have been widely applied in in vivo and in vitro biological research, such as drug delivery [1][2][3][4][5], cancer therapy [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13], imaging and sensing [14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Therefore, understanding the intracellular pathways of gold nanoparticles and uptake mechanism is essential for all these applications, as these studies will provide information on uptake rate, route, final intracellular location, and the effects of nanoparticles to cell organelles, etc.…”

Gold nanorods/mesoporous silica-based nanocomposite as theranostic agents for targeting near-infrared imaging and photothermal therapy induced with laser

“…[31][32][33] What is more, the desirable NIR window of the GNRs may shift to the visible spectral region as a result of frequently observed aggregating and clustering of the GNRs within different cells, and this would greatly reduce the photothermal conversion efficiency. [34][35][36] Thus, a number of nanoscale encapsulation systems, including thermoresponsive polymer, 37 multidentate polyethylene glycol (PEG), 38 human serum albumin, 39 poly(amido amine [PAMAM]) dendrimer, 40 chitosan, 41 mesoporous silica, 42 and calf thymus DNA, 43 have been developed to encapsulate GNRs and show their unique and enhanced therapeutic effects by thermal ablation of tumors.…”