Theranostic nanocomplex of gold-decorated upconversion nanoparticles for optical imaging and temperature-controlled photothermal therapy

Publication date: Available online 23 August 2019Source: Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: ChemistryAuthor(s): Gonzalo Ramírez-García, Miguel Ángel Honorato-Colin, Elder De la Rosa, Tzarara López-Luke, Sandeep S. Panikar, José de Jesús Ibarra-Sánchez, Valeria PiazzaAbstractThe multifunctional hybrid nanomaterials could bring alternative solutions to current public health problems like cancer diagnosis and treatment. In this work, the near-infrared-activated NaYF4:Yb,Er up-conversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) were synthesized and covalently decorated with sub-10 nm gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in a 10 min reaction. The UCNPs in the UCNPs-AuNPs complex converted the deep-penetrating 975 nm near-infrared photons into visible emissions, which were simultaneously used for multiple applications: i) plasmon-induced photothermal therapy, ii) in situ sensing and control of the temperature (nano-thermometer), and iii) contrast agent for fluorescence imaging and cell tracking at the tissues transparency window. The effective energy transfer of green emissions and consequent temperature increment was enhanced by the short separation between donor (UCNPs) and acceptor nanoparticles (AuNPs). The induced hyperthermia locally triggered irreversible cancer cell damage, considerably reducing the cell viability upon 5 min of NIR irradiation but being practically inert in the absence of infrared light exposure. In addition, the non-transferred fractions of the 525 and 545 ...
Source: Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry - Category: Chemistry Source Type: research