(485ba) Mechanisms of Cell Death Induced by Gold Nanoshell-Based Photothermal Therapy

Gold nanoshell based-photothermal therapy has attracted increasing interest for applications in cancer. Gold nanoshells are made from a dielectric silica core coated with a thin gold layer through a multi-step process involving attachment of colloidal gold particles and subsequent reduction of gold ions. These gold nanoshells have a characteristic resonant peak that can be tuned to strongly absorb near infrared light, which is maximally transparent to tissue at ~800 nm, and generates large quantities of heat. It has been shown that laser irradiation of tumors and cells in vitro following treatment with gold nanoshells leads to cell death and tumor regression. However, the mechanisms of cell death associated with gold nanoshell treatment are not well understood. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of cell death and their relationship with key parameters involved in the process of treatment and cellular distribution of gold nanoshells.