Insights on the transport of tamoxifen by gold nanoparticles for MCF-7 breast cancer cells based on SERS spectroscopy

Gold nanoparticles (AuNP) were synthesized and modified with anti-folate receptor antibody (AB), folic acid (FA), crystal violet (CV), poly (ethyleneglycol) methyl ether thiol and the antineoplastic drug tamoxifen (TAM). Such a preparation was incubated in vitro with MCF-7 human breast cancer cells, showing a decrease in the TAM dosage for the reduction of cell viability. The adsorption of TAM on gold surface was investigated by surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy and the assignment based on Density Functional Theory calculations showed that the ether moiety was involved in the interactions with the metal. Such a chemical affinity was correlated with the carrying of TAM in the biological media. CV was included in the preparation as a molecular probe for SERS spectroscopy, whose signal was monitored to analyse the efficiency of the modified AuNP in the target of neoplastic cells. The results showed AB, FA and TAM components had complementary roles in the cell recognition and, therefore, in the efficiency of the drug carrier nanosystem