Bifunctional Au@Bi₂ Se₃ Core-Shell Nanoparticle for Synergetic Therapy by SERS-Traceable AntagomiR Delivery and...

For the first time, topological insulator bismuth selenide nanoparticles (Bi₂ Se₃ NP) are core-shelled with gold (Au@Bi₂ Se₃ ) i) to represent considerably small-sized (11 nm) plasmonic nanoparticles, enabling accurate bioimaging in the near-infrared region; ii) to substantially improve Bi₂ Se₃ biocompatibility, iii) water dispersibility, and iv) surface functionalization capability through straightforward gold-thiol interaction. The Au@Bi₂ Se₃ 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 Bi₂ Se₃ . The Au@Bi₂ Se₃ 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.