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Metal Cluster Triggered-Assembling Heterogeneous Au-Ag Nanoclusters with Highly Loading Performance and Biocompatible
Xiaoxiao He1,2, Xiaohong Ma3, Yujun Yang4
1State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound in Medicine and Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|October 14, 2022
Summary
Researchers developed porous gold-silver nanoclusters (Au-Ag NCs) for drug delivery. These biocompatible nanoclusters show enhanced stability, high drug loading, and controlled release, offering promising applications in nanomedicine and immunotherapies.
Area of Science:
- Nanotechnology
- Materials Science
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Developing efficient drug delivery systems is crucial for improving therapeutic outcomes.
- Nanomaterials offer unique properties for drug encapsulation and targeted delivery.
- Existing drug carriers often face challenges with stability, biocompatibility, and controlled release.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prepare and characterize novel heterogeneously assembled gold-silver nanoclusters (Au-Ag NCs).
- To evaluate the potential of these Au-Ag NCs as drug carriers with high loading capacity and biocompatibility.
- To investigate the controlled drug release capabilities of Au-Ag NCs under different physiological conditions and external stimuli.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of glutathione-protected gold (Au) and silver (Ag) clusters.
- Self-assembly of Au and Ag clusters into porous Au-Ag nanoclusters (NCs).
- Characterization of NCs size, morphology, stability, and biocompatibility (cell viability assays).
- Drug loading (Adriamycin) and in vitro release studies at different pH values (7.4 and 5.8).
- Investigation of ultrasound stimulation for controlled assembly and drug release.
Main Results:
- Successfully synthesized porous Au-Ag NCs with a core size of ~1.36 nm and assembled diameter of ~120 nm.
- Au-Ag NCs demonstrated enhanced stability and loading performance compared to individual components.
- High biocompatibility was confirmed, with cell viability around 98% at 100 µg mL⁻¹.
- Controlled drug release was observed, with >65% release at pH 5.8 (tumor microenvironment) and <30% at pH 7.4 (physiological).
- Ultrasound stimulation accelerated assembly and allowed control over NC size and morphology.
Conclusions:
- Heterogeneously assembled porous Au-Ag NCs represent a novel and effective drug delivery platform.
- These NCs exhibit excellent water-solubility, stability, low toxicity, and high loading capacity.
- The tunable drug release profile and biocompatibility make Au-Ag NCs promising for various biomedical applications, including immunotherapies.
