Correction to: A DM1-doped porous gold nanoshell system for NIR accelerated redox-responsive release and triple modal imaging guided photothermal synergistic chemotherapy

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A DM1-doped porous gold nanoshell system for NIR accelerated redox-responsive release and triple modal imaging guided photothermal synergistic chemotherapy

BackgroundAlthough many treatments are available for breast cancer, poor tumor targeting limits the effectiveness of most approaches and a monotherapy will yield satisfactory results difficultly. Furthermore, the lack of accurate diagnostic and tumor monitoring methods also limit the benefits of treatment. This study aimed to design a nanocarrier based on porous gold nanoshell (PGNSs) co-decorated with methoxy polyethylene glycol (mPEG) and trastuzumab (Herceptin®, HER) which can specifically bind to human epidermal receptor-2 (Her-2) over-expressed breast cancer cells and was incorporated with a derivative of the microtubule-targeting drug maytansine (DM1). PGNSs were prepared and then covered by the mPEG, DM1 and HER via the electrostatic interactions and Au-S bonds. The cytotoxicity of DM1-mPEG/HER-PGNSs on SK-BR-3 and MCF-7 cancer cells was evaluated in terms of cell viability and apoptosis analysis. The selective cancer cell uptake and accumulation were studied via ICP-MS and fluorescence imaging in vitro and in vivo. The multimodal imaging and synergistic chemo-photothermal therapeutic efficacy was investigated in breast cancer tumor-bearing mice. Then the molecular mechanism of the nanoparticles in anti-tumor applications were also elucidated.ResultThe as-prepared DM1-mPEG/HER-PGNSs with a size of 78.6 nm displayed excellent colloidal stability, photothermal conversion ability, and redox-sensitive drug release. These DM1-mPEG/HER-PGNSs exhibited selectively uptake by cancer cells in vitro and accumulation to tumor sites in vivo. Moreover, the DM1-mPEG/HER-PGNSs showed enhanced multimodal computed tomography (CT), photoacoustic (PA) and photothermal (PT) imaging and chemo-thermal combination therapy. The therapeutic mechanism involved the induction of tumor cell apoptosis via the activation of tubulin, caspase-3 and the HSP70 pathway. Meanwhile, the suppression of M2 macrophages and anti-metastatic functions were observed.ConclusionThese DM1-mPEG/HER-PGNSs would display nanodart-like targeting CT/PA/PT imaging in vivo and powerful tumor inhibition mediated by chemo-thermal combination therapy suggest that these unique gold nanocarriers are potential theranostic nanoagents that can serve both as a probe for enhanced multimodal imaging and as a novel targeted antitumor drug delivery system to achieve precision nanomedicine for cancer.

Biomimetic Gold Nanoshell-Loaded Macrophage for Photothermal Biomedicine

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of photothermal treatment (PTT) with gold nanoshell (ANS) using a macrophage-mediated delivery system in a head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell line. To achieve this, ANS-loaded rat macrophages (ANS-MAs) were prepared via the coculture method with ANS. The human HNSCC (FaDu cell) and macrophage (rat macrophage; NR8383 cell) hybrid spheroid models were generated by the centrifugation method to determine the possibility of using ANS-MAs as a cancer therapy. These ANS-MAs were set into the tumor and macrophage hybrid spheroid model to measure PTT efficacy. Kinetic analysis of the spheroid growth pattern revealed that this PTT process caused a decreasing pattern in the volume of the hybrid model containing ANS-MAs (p<0.001). Comparison with empty macrophages showed harmony between ANS and laser irradiation for the generation of PTT. An annexin V/dead cell marker assay indicated that the PTT-treated hybrid model induced increasing apoptosis and dead cells. Further studies on the toxicity of ANS-MAs are needed to reveal whether it can be considered biocompatible. In summary, the ANS was prepared with a macrophage as the delivery method and protective carrier. The ANS was successfully localized to the macrophages, and their photoabsorption property was stationary. This strategy showed significant growth inhibition of the tumor and macrophage spheroid model under NIR laser irradiation. In vivo toxicology results suggest that ANS-MA is a promising candidate for a biocompatible strategy to overcome the limitations of fabricated nanomaterials. This ANS-MA delivery and PTT strategy may potentially lead to improvements in the quality of life of patients with HNSCC by providing a biocompatible, minimally invasive modality for cancer treatment.

A spatially pinned surface plasmon through short-circuiting electronic oscillation in waveguide-sustained SPPs

A spatially pinned surface plasmon is constructed by connecting a gold nanoshell grating with a planar gold nanofilm, forming a periodical array of gold nanoloops.