Plasmonic Nanopowders for Photothermal Therapy of Tumors

We describe a novel strategy for the fabrication of plasmonic nanopowders (dried gold nanoparticles) by using wet chemical nanoparticle synthesis, PEG-SH functionalization, and a standard freeze-drying technique. Our strategy is illustrated by successful fabrication of different plasmonic nanopowders, including gold nanorods, gold silver nanocages, and gold nanospheres. Importantly, the dried nanoparticles can be stored for a long time under usual conditions and then can easily be dissolved in water at a desired concentration without such hard manipulations as sonication or heating. Redispersed samples maintain the plasmonic properties of parent colloids and do not form aggregates. These properties make pegylated freeze-dried gold nanoparticles attractive candidates for plasmonic photothermal therapy in clinical settings. In this work, redispersed gold nanorods were intravenously administered to mice bearing Ehrlich carcinoma tumors at doses of 2 and 8 mg (Au)/kg (animal). Particle biodistribution was measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy, and tumor hyperthermia effects were studied under laser NIR irradiation. Significant tumor damage was observed only at the higher dose of the nanorods.