Functionalized gold nanorod core-mesoporous silica shell nanodevices with controlled release of anticancer drug

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Gold nanorods (AuNRs) can find many biomedical applications including photothermal therapy [1]. AuNRs are normally coated with cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) when synthesized via seed-mediated growth, resulting in cytotoxicity and low stability which hinder their medical applications. Coating silica on AuNRs may solve the problem and also makes it possible to conjugate targeting ligands to AuNRs [2]. But the shape and thickness control and functionalization of silica shell are the challenges. The reported methods for coating silica often lack reproducibility and also require precise control of CTAB concentration in AuNR stock solution [3]. This investigation developed a facile method to make folic acid modified AuNR core-mesoporous silica shell (AuNR@mSiO2) nanodevices for anti-cancer applications ...