Plasmon-Enhanced Optical Probes for Sensing of Drug Metabolite

Abstract

An Au@SiO2 core-shell nanostar structure decorated with quantum dots was designed and synthesized. This structure displays near-infrared fluorescence and the production of reactive oxygen species when excited. The production of reactive oxygen species can be utilized for photodynamic therapy (PDT), treating cancer. In this work, we utilized this near-infrared fluorescence probe for drug metabolite detection. Drugs are an illicit substance that police, medics, and hospitals need to know if an individual is under the influence of but that individual will not always be willing or able to provide that information. A sensor based on this new optical probe has been developed for detection of drug metabolites in saliva.