Theranostics 2017; 7(18):4424-4444. doi:10.7150/thno.18832 This issue Cite
Research Paper
1. State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200032, People's Republic of China;
2. Department of General Surgery, School of Medicine, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200092, People's Republic of China;
3. Department of Ophthalmology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, People's Republic of China.
* These authors contributed equally to this work.
Gold nanoparticle-coated Pluronic-b-poly(L-lysine) nanoparticles (Pluronic-PLL@Au NPs) were synthesized via an easy one-step method and employed as carriers for the delivery of paclitaxel (PTX) in chemo-photothermal therapy, in which Pluronic-PLL acts as the reductant for the formation of AuNPs without the need for an additional reducing agent. Methods: The deposition of AuNPs on the surface of Pluronic-PLL micelles and the thermal response of the system were followed via ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering. Calcein-AM and MTT assays were used to study the cell viability of MDA-MB-231 cells treated with PTX-loaded Pluronic-PLL@Au NPs, and we then irradiated the cells with NIR light. Results: An obvious temperature response was observed for the Pluronic-PLL@Au NPs. Blood compatibility and in vitro cytotoxicity assays confirmed that the Pluronic-PLL@Au NPs have excellent biocompatibility. Compared to Taxol, the PTX-loaded Pluronic-PLL@Au NPs exhibited higher cytotoxicity in MDA-MB-231 cells. All of these results and confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis results suggest that Pluronic-PLL@Au NPs greatly enhance the cellular uptake efficiency of the drug. Conclusion: As confirmed by in vitro and in vivo studies, the combination of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy can cause more damage than chemo- or photothermal therapy did alone, demonstrating the synergistic effect of chemo-photothermal treatment. Thus, the as-prepared Pluronic-PLL@Au NPs are promising for chemo-photothermal therapy.
Keywords: One-Pot Synthesis, Thermally Sensitive, Gold Nanoparticle, Pluronic-b-poly(L-lysine), Drug Delivery, Chemo-Photothermal.