| 초록 |
Gold nanorods (GNRs) have received much attention in photothermal therapeutics by virtue of enhanced light absorbance, tunable optical properties, and ease of synthesis. However, it is questionable whether GNRs could be free from nanotoxicity. This is due to one of the intrinsic characteristics of nanoparticles: although they are “targeted”, their distribution in the body could be broad due to the small sizes, and they might accumulate in the body. Here, we introduce a new concept: implanted photothermal therapy (iPT) using microcubic particles. The microcubes (MCs) encapsulate GNRs into the polymeric networks via stop flow lithography technique. The MCs show two distinctive features: (1) They can be implanted at a particular tissue site, exhibiting the similar optical properties with GNRs and the photothermal efficacy comparable to the bare GNRs. (2) The GNRs are immobilized in the bio-inert polyethyleneglycol (PEG) based network, preventing the potential toxic effects. Additionally, in vivo experimental results suggest that iPT could work in the biological systems. We expect that these microcubes can be a promising tool as implantable photothermal agents for tumor therapy. |
