Assessing suitability of Co@Au core/shell nanoparticle geometry for improved theranostics in colon carcinoma

Dhawan, U. , Tseng, C.-L., Wang, H.-Y., Hsu, S.-Y., Tsai, M.-T. and Chung, R.-J. (2021) Assessing suitability of Co@Au core/shell nanoparticle geometry for improved theranostics in colon carcinoma. Nanomaterials, 11(8), 2048. (doi: 10.3390/nano11082048)

Abstract

The interactions between cells and nanomaterials at the nanoscale play a pivotal role in controlling cellular behavior and ample evidence links cell intercommunication to nanomaterial size. However, little is known about the effect of nanomaterial geometry on cell behavior. To elucidate this and to extend the application in cancer theranostics, we have engineered core–shell cobalt–gold nanoparticles with spherical (Co@Au NPs) and elliptical morphology (Co@Au NEs). Our results show that owing to superparamagnetism, Co@Au NPs can generate hyperthermia upon magnetic field stimulation. In contrast, due to the geometric difference, Co@Au NEs can be optically excited to generate hyperthermia upon photostimulation and elevate the medium temperature to 45 °C. Both nanomaterial geometries can be employed as prospective contrast agents; however, at identical concentration, Co@Au NPs exhibited 4-fold higher cytotoxicity to L929 fibroblasts as compared to Co@Au NEs, confirming the effect of nanomaterial geometry on cell fate. Furthermore, photostimulation-generated hyperthermia prompted detachment of anti-cancer drug, Methotrexate (MTX), from Co@Au NEs-MTX complex and which triggered 90% decrease in SW620 colon carcinoma cell viability, confirming their application in cancer theranostics. The geometry-based perturbation of cell fate can have a profound impact on our understanding of interactions at nano-bio interface which can be exploited for engineering materials with optimized geometries for superior theranostic applications.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: The authors are grateful for the financial supports of this research by the Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan (MOST 108-2628-E-027-003-MY3), the National Taipei University of Technology-Mackay Memorial Hospital Joint Research Program (NTUT-MMH-108-08, NTUTMMH-109-04).
• Keywords: Core–shell, cobalt–gold, nanoparticles, hyperthermia, methotrexate, colon carcinoma.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Dhawan, Dr Udesh

Creator Roles

Dhawan, U.: Writing – original draft, Methodology, Formal analysis, Data curation, Visualization, Writing – review and editing

• Authors: Dhawan, U., Tseng, C.-L., Wang, H.-Y., Hsu, S.-Y., Tsai, M.-T., and Chung, R.-J.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Biomedical Engineering
• Journal Name: Nanomaterials
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2079-4991
• ISSN (Online): 2079-4991
• Published Online: 11 August 2021
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Nanomaterials 11(8): 2048
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License