Shape Sensitivity on Toxicity of Gold Nanoplates in Breast Cancer Cells

Gold nanomaterials (Au NMs) have been explored for a wide range of applications in catalysis and medicine. Here we report the shape sensitive toxicity of gold nanoplates (Au nanoplates) in breast cancer cell line, MCF7. Au nanoplates induced a dose- and shape-dependent toxicity to cancer cells. Oxidative stress induced by Au nanoplates is believed to be the trigger for the DNA, which resulted in cell apoptosis. In summary, the results from our study demonstrate that morphology appears to play a significant role in mediating the cellular responses and Au triangles nanoplates showed the highest toxicity to the cells. Such findings may be able to shine more light on the shape-dependent interaction between Au NMs and living organisms.