Bifunctional Au@Bi 2 Se 3 Core-Shell Nanoparticle for Synergetic Therapy by SERS-Traceable AntagomiR Delivery and Photothermal Treatment

• Published in: Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) Germany), 2018-09, Vol.14 (38), p.e1802934
• Main Authors: Mohammadniaei, Mohsen, Lee, Taek, Bharate, Bapurao G, Yoon, Jinho, Choi, Hye Kyu, Park, Soo-Jeong, Kim, Junghoon, Kim, Jungho, Choi, Jeong-Woo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1613-6810; 1613-6829
• DOI: 10.1002/smll.201802934

For the first time, topological insulator bismuth selenide nanoparticles (Bi Se NP) are core-shelled with gold (Au@Bi Se ) i) to represent considerably small-sized (11 nm) plasmonic nanoparticles, enabling accurate bioimaging in the near-infrared region; ii) to substantially improve Bi Se biocompatibility, iii) water dispersibility, and iv) surface functionalization capability through straightforward gold-thiol interaction. The Au@Bi Se is subsequently functionalized for v) effective targeting of SH-SY5Y cancer cells, vi) disrupting the endosome/lysosome membrane, vii) traceable delivery of antagomiR-152 and further synergetic oncomiR knockdown and photothermal therapy (PTT). Unprecedentedly, it is observed that the Au shell thickness has a significant impact on evoking the exotic plasmonic features of Bi Se . The Au@Bi Se possesses a high photothermal conversion efficiency (35.5%) and a remarkable surface plasmonic effect (both properties are approximately twofold higher than those of 50 nm Au nanoparticles). In contrast to the siRNA/miRNA delivery methods, the antagomiR delivery is based on strand displacement, in which the antagomiR-152 is displaced by oncomiR-152 followed by a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy signal drop. This enables both cancer cell diagnosis and in vitro real-time monitoring of the antagomiR release. This selective PTT nanoparticle can also efficiently target solid tumors and undergo in vivo PTT, indicating its potential clinical applications.