A novel gold nanorod-based spectrographic method for evaluating the curcumin inhibitory action on HepG2 cells

A versatile and facile strategy for detecting the inhibitory action of curcumin on cancer cells has been developed by using the specific recognition between folic acid conjugated-gold nanorods (F-AuNRs) and folate receptors on the cell surface, based on the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and fluorescence spectra of gold nanorods (AuNRs). The F-AuNR probe was used to detect cancer cells with a detection limit down to 10 cells per mL, and it could replace traditional organic dyes as it has a better detection limit. Combined MTT, flow cytometry, fluorescence images and high-resolution AFM images further confirmed the feasibility of the spectroscopy methods. This approach can be used as a simple, rapid and sensitive tool to study the inhibitory action of drugs on cancer cells.