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Antibody-conjugated gold-gold sulfide nanoparticles as multifunctional agents for imaging and therapy of breast cancer

Authors Day, Bickford LR, Slater JH, Riggall NS, Drezek RA, West JL

Published 24 June 2010 Volume 2010:5 Pages 445—454

DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S10881

Review by Single anonymous peer review

Peer reviewer comments 6



Emily S Day, Lissett R Bickford, John H Slater, Nicholas S Riggall, Rebekah A Drezek, Jennifer L West

Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA

Abstract: The goal of this study was to develop near-infrared (NIR) resonant gold-gold sulfide nanoparticles (GGS-NPs) as dual contrast and therapeutic agents for cancer management via multiphoton microscopy followed by higher intensity photoablation. We demonstrate that GGS-NPs exposed to a pulsed, NIR laser exhibit two-photon induced photoluminescence that can be utilized to visualize cancerous cells in vitro. When conjugated with anti-HER2 antibodies, these nanoparticles specifically bind SK-BR-3 breast carcinoma cells that overexpress the HER2 receptor, enabling the cells to be imaged via multiphoton microscopy with an incident laser power of 1 mW. Higher excitation power (50 mW) could be employed to induce thermal damage to the cancerous cells, producing extensive membrane blebbing within seconds leading to cell death. GGS-NPs are ideal multifunctional agents for cancer management because they offer the ability to pinpoint precise treatment sites and perform subsequent thermal ablation in a single setting.

Keywords: cancer, nanomedicine, multiphoton microscopy, photoluminescence, photothermal therapy, theranostics

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