title: Gold nanoparticle-mediated photothermal therapy: current status and future perspective.
abstract: Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are attractive photothermal agents for cancer therapy because they show efficient local heating upon excitation of surface plasmon oscillations. The strong absorption, efficient heat conversion, high photostability, inherent low toxicity and well-defined surface chemistry of AuNPs contribute to the growing interest in their photothermal therapy (PTT) applications. The facile tunability of gold nanostructures enables engineering of AuNPs for superior near-infrared photothermal efficacy and target selectivity, which guarantee efficient and deep tissue-penetrating PTT with mitigated concerns regarding side effects by nonspecific distributions. This article discusses the current research findings with representative near-infrared-active AuNPs, which include nanoshell, nanorod, nanocage, nanostar, nanopopcorn and nanoparticle assembly systems. AuNPs successfully demonstrate potential for use in PTT, but several hurdles to clinical applications remain, including long-term toxicity and a need for sophisticated control over biodistribution and clearance. Future research directions are discussed, especially regarding the clinical translation of AuNP photosensitizers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH), San 31, Hyojadong, Namgu, Pohang 790-784, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sekyu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Jutaek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Sungwook
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Jaejung
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Hyunmi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Doh
authors.forename: Sungjee
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D006046:Gold / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D057145:Nanoshells / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010789:Phototherapy; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; D006046:Gold
keywords: drug delivery; gold nanoparticle; medical imaging; nanomedicine; near-infrared; photothermal therapy; theragnostics