title: Enhanced thermal stability of silica-coated gold nanorods for photoacoustic imaging and image-guided therapy.
abstract: Photothermal stability and, therefore, consistency of both optical absorption and photoacoustic response of the plasmonic nanoabsorbers is critical for successful photoacoustic image-guided photothermal therapy. In this study, silica-coated gold nanorods were developed as a multifunctional molecular imaging and therapeutic agent suitable for image-guided photothermal therapy. The optical properties and photothermal stability of silica-coated gold nanorods under intense irradiation with nanosecond laser pulses were investigated by UV-Vis spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Silica-coated gold nanorods showed increased photothermal stability and retained their superior optical properties under much higher fluences. The changes in photoacoustic response of PEGylated and silica-coated nanorods under laser pulses of various fluences were compared. The silica-coated gold nanorods provide a stable photoacoustic signal, which implies better imaging capabilities and make silica-coated gold nanorods a promising imaging and therapeutic nano-agent for photoacoustic imaging and image-guided photothermal therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
authors.forename: Yun-Sheng
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Frey
authors.forename: Seungsoo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Homan
authors.forename: Pieter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kruizinga
authors.forename: Konstantin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sokolov
authors.forename: Stanislav
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Emelianov
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D000077286:Cetrimonium; D002593:Cetrimonium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D043942:Nanotubes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010789:Phototherapy / Q000379:methods*; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D002593:Cetrimonium Compounds; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D006046:Gold; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D000077286:Cetrimonium