Gold nanoparticles surface-functionalized with paclitaxel drug and biotin receptor as theranostic agents for cancer therapy

We describe in this study whether the gold nanoparticle (AuNP) surface-functionalized with PEG, biotin, paclitaxel (PTX) and rhodamine B linked beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) (AuNP-5′) can be useful as a theranostic agent for cancer therapy without the cytotoxic effect on normal cells. Prior to surface-functionalizing AuNPs, the cytotoxicity of the nanoparticles was evaluated, followed by their cytocompatibility. PTX, an anti-cancer agent, formed inclusion complexations with β-CD conjugated AuNPs, and effectively released from the AuNP-2′ surface-functionalized with PEG, beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and paclitaxel (PTX) using the intracellular glutathione (GSH) level (10 mm). Two types of AuNP-4 surface-functionalized with PEG and rhodamine B linked β-CD and AuNP-5 surface-functionalized PEG, biotin and rhodamine B linked β-CD were used for evaluating their specific interaction on cancer cells such as HeLa, A549 and MG63. These were also tested against normal NIH3T3 cell, determining that the AuNP-5 was more effectively involved with the cancer cells. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), fluorescence-activated cell-sorting (FACS) and cell viability analyses showed that the AuNP-5′ plays a significant role in the diagnosis and therapy of the cancer cells, and may be used in theranostic agents.