Preparation and characterization of doxorubicin functionalized gold nanoparticles

In this paper, we have presented the demonstration of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) functionalized with an anticancer drug, doxorubicin. Doxorubicin was assembled on gold via amino group. The reaction proceeded under mild acidic conditions. Au NPs could not be adsorbed on doxorubicin in alkaline solution because amino group was not protonated. However, under acidic conditions, protonation created a positively charged amino group thus adsorption was easier. The interaction between Au colloids and doxorubicin is believed to be electrostatic. High-resolution TEM was used for visualization of nanoparticles, which were found to retain their average size and shape. The method, demonstrated that doxorubicin could be attached to Au NPs in a controlled manner. Our research laid the foundation of a linking methodology through which hybrid multi drug and receptor labeled NPs could be created, which might serve as an alternative design for nanosized drug-delivery systems.