방사선의학 웹진

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Abstract
Gold particles have been widely used in the treatment of prostate cancer due to their unique optical properties, such as their light-heat conversion in response to near-infrared radiation. Due to well-defined synthesis mechanisms and simple manufacturing methods, gold particles have been fabricated in various sizes and shapes. However, the low photothermal transduction efficiency in their present form is a major obstacle to practical and therapeutic uses of these particles. In the current work, we present a silica-coated gold nanoparticle cluster to address the therapeutic limit of single gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and use its photothermal effect for treatment against PC-3, a typical prostate cancer. Due to its specific nanostructure, this gold nanocluster showed three times higher photothermal transduction efficiency than free single AuNPs. Moreover, while free single particles easily clump and lose optical properties, this silica-coated cluster form remained stable for a longer time in a given medium. In photothermal tests under near-infrared radiation, the excellent therapeutic efficacy of gold nanoclusters, referred to as AuNC@SiO2, was observed in a preclinical sample. Only the samples with both injected nanoclusters followed by photothermal treatment showed completely degraded tumors after 15 days. Due to the unique intrinsic biocompatibility and higher therapeutic effect of these silica-coated gold nanoclusters, they may contribute to enhancement of therapeutic efficacy against prostate cancer.

Author information

Kim J1, Chun SH1, Amornkitbamrung L2, Song C1,3, Yuk JS1, Ahn SY1, Kim BW1, Lim YT1,3,4, Oh BK5, Um SH6,7,8.
1
School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, 16419, South Korea.
2
Polymer Engineering Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, 254 Phayathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
3
SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology (SAINT), Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, 16419, South Korea.
4
Biomedical Institute for Convergence at SKKU (BICS), Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, 16419, South Korea.
5
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Sogang University, Seoul, 04107, South Korea.
6
School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, 16419, South Korea. sh.um@skku.edu.
7
SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology (SAINT), Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, 16419, South Korea. sh.um@skku.edu.
8
Biomedical Institute for Convergence at SKKU (BICS), Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, 16419, South Korea. sh.um@skku.edu.