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Intro to Nanotechnology
Wesley Sanders
03/21/2018
Gold Nanoparticles have been a subject of much study in recent years. While they have
been used for since ancient days (such as in the Lycurgus cup, made in the fourth century,) gold
nanoparticles have come under intense scrutiny from medical researchers and scientists alike.
They have been found to have unique properties which allow for better medical treatments for
cancer and tumors. Some of these unique properties include their surface plasmon resonance,
Gold nanoparticles are made using the bottom up approach. The bottom up approach is
taking materials in their basest form and combining them to create something bigger. To make
gold nanoparticles, a water-soluble form of gold is used- HAuCl4, or gold salt. It is then dissolved
in water, producing H+ and AuCl4– ions. The gold ions are floating in the water with one gold
atom per ion. A reducing agent is added, which converts the ions into elemental gold atoms.
These atoms are not soluble in water, so clump together. These clumps are nano-sized, but if
left alone, will continue clumping together, getting bigger and bigger. One way to prevent this is
to put a protective coating on the outer shell of the clumps. This stops more atoms from
attaching to it. If done right, a gold nanoparticle of about 4 nanometers should form (Murphy,
2014).
Gold nanoparticles are also easily functionalized to perform specific duties. Self-Assembled
Monolayers, or SAMs, easily form on noble metal. A noble metal is a metal in which all the
orbitals are full, so can easily interact with many different elements. These self-assembled
monolayers are functionalized with certain materials to perform a certain duty. One of the ways
this enables gold nanoparticles to interact with other molecules. SAMs are made up of three
parts: a sulfur group, or thiols; a carbon chain which connects the other two together; and a
head group, which changes the properties of the film. In the article “Preparation and
particles but exhibit highly increased stability against heat, aggregation, and
decomposition [59]. The strong interaction between n-alkylthiols and the gold surface
provides the most popular method for the attachment of molecular groups (Capek,
2013).
This explains that gold nanoparticles can connect to different molecule groups such as
antibodies that specifically search out cancer cells, allowing researchers to identify their
Resonance (SPR), which is the resonance of electron in the conduction band of a particle. It is
often used as the basis for detecting molecular interactions. In cancer research, gold
nanoparticles are used as a vehicle to deliver biomolecules. They can be functionalized with
plasmid DNA to seek out cancerous cells. Researchers can then search for their specific SPR to
locate those cancerous cells and deal with them before they become dangerous. Gold
nanoparticle’s SPR band is about 520 nm. Also, gold nanoparticles have a distinct Local Surface
Plasmon Resonance (LSPR), which has a greater special resolution than normal SPR, granting
greater accuracy during analysis. SPR along with LSPR allow scientists to locate problem cells
with greater accuracy to them analyze them to determine what the following steps will be in
Treatments
Cytotoxicity
One of the treatments that is currently being used for cancer is using cytotoxicity.
Cytotoxicity is when a cell kills itself. The reason that cancer is so dangerous is because there is
unregulated cell growth. In the lifetime of a cell, it goes through different phases. One of these
phases is reproduction. After reproduction, there is a “checkpoint” where enzymes tell the cell
to continue reproducing or to stop. Cancer happens when this “checkpoint” is broken and
doesn’t tell the cell to stop reproducing. This uncontrollable reproduction mass produces cells
that are unable to stop and get rid of themselves through cytotoxicity, causing potential harm
to the body. Scientists have searched for ways to treat this broken “checkpoint”. They have
found that gold nanoparticles (referred to as Au[III] in the article) have the ability to induce
The accumulated data suggested that MZ molecules were coordinated to the metal ions
by its imine nitrogen as a monodentate ligand and the structures of complexes were six-
coordinate for Fe(III) and four coordinate for the other metal ions. Cytotoxicity assays
for Au(III) complex were conducted using two human cancer cell lines. The complex
demonstrated significant inhibitory effect on the cell growth of HepG2 with an IC50
This discovery will help control cancer cells before they spread out of control and become
dangerous by inhibiting them from growing even more and inducing them to kill themselves
Photothermal Therapy
A man named John Kanzius came up with a new way to treat cancer. He took gold
nanoparticles and injected them into the cancerous areas. He then fired radio waves through
those areas, heating up the nanoparticles and killing the cancer cells. He died before being able
to complete his work, but many scientists have built on his idea (Gannon, 2007).
Gold nanoparticles can be functionalized for a purpose. In the case of cancer, scientists
functionalize these nanoparticles with cancer seeking antibodies. When they arrive, the cancer
cells take them into themselves, which amplifies their light absorption. The gold nanoparticles
are Near Infrared (NIR) invisible until they clump up inside the cell, which reduces heating in the
blood and other non-target cells, protecting them from damage (Hainfeld, 2014)
Gold nanoparticles can absorb certain frequencies of light based on their size. For
2014). Light is not readily absorbed into skin tissue at those wavelengths, so clinically that size
of nanoparticle would not be recommended. The optimal wavelength of light for tissue
penetration is around 800 nm NIR. This is because “hemoglobin absorption is decreasing and
water absorption is increasing, forming a ‘‘tissue window’’ of best transmission” (Hainfeld,
2014). This allows the waves to pass through the skin and other tissue to strike the
Gold nanorods were also found to be effective for treatment. They are about 50-100 nm
in length and absorb NIR wavelengths in their axial direction. “90 nm rods are more
efficient by a factor of 10 than 140 nm nano-shells, based on a per volume basis because
nanorods, unlike nano-shells, contain no large silica particles” (Hainfeld, 2014), allowing for
more absorption.
When the nanoparticles are inside the tumor cells, their phototonic absorption is
amplified by being catalytically aggregated to the cell. This is done using various enzymes and
pH effects by the cells themselves. This increased absorption causes the nanoparticles to
receive a higher energy from lasers, heating them up and killing the cells they are within.
Because of the NIR wavelength, no other cells are damaged in the process (Hainfeld, 2014)
Using gold nanoparticles as part of a treatment for cancer has quickly become a highly
researched area. Gold nanoparticles themselves display unique properties which allow them to
interact with other molecules and cells in a distinct way, such as being functionalized with
antibodies to seek out cancer cells and attach to them. They also have a distinct Surface
Plasmon Resonance which allows scientists to locate them inside tumor cells, more accurately
giving specific locations and detail of the cancer. They can absorb wavelengths of light, heating
up and killing the target cells, leaving non-target cells alone. It is a safe way to conduct
Adam A. Synthesis, characterization, and cytotoxic in vitro studies of the antibiotic drug
metronidazole complexed with Au(III), Fe(III), Pd(III), and Zn(II): Toward potent gold-drug
Capek, Ignac. Preparation and Functionalization of Gold Nanoparticles. J. Surface Sci. Technol.
Gannon, Christopher J., et al. “Carbon Nanotube-Enhanced Thermal Destruction of Cancer Cells
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/cncr23155.
Murphy, Cathy. “Two Ways to Make Nanoparticles.” Sustainable Nano, Center for Sustainable
nanoparticles/.
“Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance Theroy.” Nicoya Lifesciences – Revolutionizing Surface
plasmon-resonance-theory/