Synthesis and Characterization of Photosensitizer-conjugated Gold Nanorods for Photodynamic/Photothermal Therapy

Recently, photodynamic and photothermal therapies have received increasing attention as an effective cancer treatment. In this study, a gold nanorod (AuNR) colloidal solution was synthesized as a hyperthermia agent for photothermal therapy and also modified with photosensitizer (PS) for photodynamic therapy. PEG (polyethylene glycol) and FA (folic acid) ligand were also introduced into AuNR for the long circulation in human body and efficient targeting of cancer cells, respectively and AuNRs were modified with FA-PEG and poly-beta-benzyl-L-aspartate (PBLA) block copolymers through a 3,4-dihydroxy hydrocinnamic acid (HCA) linker. A series of AuNRs with various aspect ratios were synthesized by controlling the feeding ratio of AgNO3. The physicochemical property and morphology of synthesized AuNR100 and FA-PEG-P(Asp)(50)-HCA-AuNR100 were analyzed by UV-visible spectrophotometer, H-1 NMR, XPS measurements, TEM. The surface modified AuNR carrier with biocompatibility could be applied for the effective diagnosis as well tumor phototherapy.