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Targeted destruction of murine macrophage cells with bioconjugated gold nanorods

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Abstract

Gold nanorods manifest a readily tunable longitudinal plasmon resonance with light and consequently have potential for use in photothermal therapeutics. Recent work by others has shown how gold nanoshells and rods can be used to target cancer cells, which can then be destroyed using relatively high power laser radiation (∼1×105 to 1×1010 W/m2). Here we extend this concept to demonstrate how gold nanorods can be modified to bind to target macrophage cells, and show that high intensity laser radiation is not necessary, with even 5×102 W/m2 being sufficient, provided that a total fluence of ∼30 J/cm2 is delivered. We used the murine cell line RAW 264.7 and the monoclonal antibody CD11b, raised against murine macrophages, as our model system and a 5 mW solid state diode laser as our energy source. Exposure of the cells labeled with gold nanorods to a laser fluence of 30 J/cm2 resulted in 81% cell death compared to only 0.9% in the control, non-labeled cells.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank R. Wuhrer, K. McBean and G.␣Stockton of the University of Technology Sydney for technical assistance received.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Nanoscale Technology, University of Technology Sydney, P.O. Box 123, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia

    Dakrong Pissuwan, Xiaoda Xu & Michael B. Cortie

  2. Department of Medical and Molecular Biosciences, University of Technology Sydney, P.O. Box 123, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia

    Stella M. Valenzuela

  3. Sydney South West Pathology Service, Locked Bag 7090, Liverpool BC, NSW, 1871, Australia

    Murray C. Killingsworth

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  1. Dakrong Pissuwan
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  2. Stella M. Valenzuela
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  3. Murray C. Killingsworth
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  4. Xiaoda Xu
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  5. Michael B. Cortie
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Correspondence to Michael B. Cortie.

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Pissuwan, D., Valenzuela, S.M., Killingsworth, M.C. et al. Targeted destruction of murine macrophage cells with bioconjugated gold nanorods. J Nanopart Res 9, 1109–1124 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-007-9212-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-007-9212-z

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