title: Light-activatable gold nanoshells for drug delivery applications.
abstract: Gold nanoshells (AuNSs) are currently being investigated as nanocarriers for drug delivery systems and have both diagnostic and therapeutic applications, including photothermal ablation, hyperthermia, drug delivery, and diagnostic imaging, particularly in oncology. AuNSs are valuable for their localized surface plasmon resonance, biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, and facile functionalization. AuNSs used for drug delivery can be spatially and temporally triggered to release controlled quantities of drugs inside the target cells when illuminated with a near-infrared (NIR) laser. Recently, many research groups have demonstrated that these AuNS complexes are able to deliver antitumor drugs (e.g., doxorubicin, paclitaxel, small interfering RNA, and single-stranded DNA) into cancer cells, which enhances the efficacy of treatment. AuNSs can also be functionalized with active targeting ligands such as antibodies, aptamers, and peptides to increase the particles' specific binding to the desired targets. This article reviews the current research on NIR light-activatable AuNSs used as nanocarriers for drug delivery systems and cancer theranostics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Interventional Radiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, Texas, 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Burapol
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Singhana
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Slattery
authors.forename: Aaron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: Marites P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Melancon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D004337:Drug Carriers; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry / Q000528:radiation effects*; D006801:Humans; D008027:Light; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D050997:Nanomedicine; D057145:Nanoshells; D013678:Technology, Pharmaceutical / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D004337:Drug Carriers; D006046:Gold