PLGA-Gold Nanohybrids as Potential Agents for Photothermal Therapy

Plasmon Photothermal Therapy (PPTT) has become a promising strategy in tumor treatment. Gold nanorods (Au NRs) are attractive photoabsorbers thanks to their longitudinal localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) that can be tuned from the visible to the near infrared (NIR) wavelengths, allowing the thermal ablation of cancer cells upon laser light irradiation. In this work, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared from nano-emulsion templates obtained by the phase-inversion composition (PIC) method at room temperature. Size and surface charge of PLGA NPs were tailored by mixing non-ionic and anionic surfactants. The negatively-charged PLGA NPs were then electrostatically conjugated with a cationic sample of Au NRs containing a small fraction of gold nanospheres as a result of the seed-mediated synthesis method. It was found that PLGA NPs were mostly conjugated to the smaller Au NRs and Au nanospheres due to size constraints and possible differences in surface charge density associated to the specific surface area. The obtained nanohybrids are potential candidates as phothermal heaters and nanocarriers for dual photothermal-chemical therapies.Peer reviewe