β-Glucan hydrogel nanoparticles embedded with gold-silver nanoclusters for traceable drug delivery

β-Glucan is a naturally derived polysaccharide with excellent biocompatibility, antioxidant activity, and immunomodulatory properties; however, its use as a multifunctional nanoscale drug delivery platform integrating intrinsic tracking capability remains comparatively underexplored relative to other polysaccharide systems. Herein, we report a multifunctional anticancer drug delivery system based on β-glucan hydrogel nanoparticles embedded with doxorubicin and fluorescent gold-silver nanoclusters (DOX@AuAgNCs@β-gluNPs). The β-glucan matrix enables efficient drug encapsulation, while the incorporated AuAg nanoclusters provide intrinsic fluorescence for label-free tracking. The resulting nanocarrier exhibited a high doxorubicin loading capacity (up to 13.8%) and pH-responsive release behavior, with accelerated release under acidic conditions relevant to the tumor microenvironment. In vitro cytotoxicity assays showed that DOX@AuAgNCs@β-gluNPs maintained anticancer efficacy comparable to free DOX. Confocal microscopy and quantitative fluorescence analysis further confirmed enhanced cellular uptake and effective intracellular tracking. Collectively, these results suggest that AuAgNCs@β-gluNPs represent a traceable and efficient drug delivery platform integrating high drug loading, pH-responsive release, and intrinsic imaging capability, indicating the potential of β-glucan as a functional biological macromolecule for advanced anticancer drug delivery applications.