Self-Assembled Au/CuS Nanoparticles for Targeted Imaging and Multimodal Therapy of Breast Cancer

With the rapid development of nanotechnology, many multifunctionalbionanoplatforms have been developed for cancer treatment. Here, we have developed targeted multimodal nanoparticles for breast cancerimaging and treatment. Using a solvent-induced self-assembly technique,we prepared a nanomaterial (Au/CuS NPs) composed of gold nanoclusters(Au NCs) and copper sulfide nanoparticles (CuS NPs). The compositenanoparticles possess both the bioimaging ability of Au NCs and thephotothermal properties of CuS NPs. To target folate receptors overexpressingbreast cancer cells, we modified the nanoparticle surfaces with folicacid. Furthermore, we easily loaded doxorubicin into the nanoparticlesusing electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonding, achieving adrug encapsulation efficiency of 47.8%. In vitro experimentsshowed that the prepared composite nanomaterials had excellent fluorescenceimaging ability and a better ability to kill MDA-MB-231 cells thansingle drug or photothermal treatment alone. This multifunctionalsystem, which combines fluorescence imaging, photothermal treatment,and targeted drug delivery, has great potential for cancer diagnosisand treatment.

Automated summary

With the use of solvent-induced self-assembly technique, we have developed multifunctional nanoparticles for imaging and treatment of breast cancer. These nanoparticles combine the bioimaging ability of gold nanoclusters and the photothermal properties of copper sulfide nanoparticles. By modifying the nanoparticle surfaces with folic acid, the nanoparticles can target folate receptors overexpressed in breast cancer cells. In vitro experiments have shown that these composite nanoparticles have excellent fluorescence imaging ability and a better capability to kill MDA-MB-231 cells than single drug or photothermal treatment alone. This multifunctional system, combining fluorescence imaging, photothermal treatment, and targeted drug delivery, shows great potential for cancer diagnosis and treatment.