Sulforaphane (SF) was loaded into the multi-functioned rattle-structured gold nanorod
mesoporous silica nanoparticles core-shell to improve its stability and efficacy through
its efficient delivery to tumors. The rattle-structured gold nanorod mesoporous silica
nanoparticles (rattle-structured AuNR@mSiO2 core-shell NPs) were obtained by covering the surface of Au NPs with Ag and mSiO2 shell and subsequently selective Ag shell etching strategy. Then the surface of rattle-structured
AuNR@mSiO2 NPs was decorated with thiolated polyethylene glycol-FITC and thiolated polyethylene
glycol-folic acid to the designed form. The obtained FITC/FA@ [rattle-structured AuNR@mSiO2] NPs was characterized by different techniques including energy dispersive X-ray
spectroscopy (EDX), scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM & TEM), UV-visible
spectrophotometer and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The FITC/FA@ [rattle-structured
AuNR@mSiO2] NPs has an average diameter around ~33 nm, which increases to ~38 nm after the loading
of sulforaphane. The amount of the loaded drug was ~ 2.8×10-4 mol of SF per gram of
FITC/FA@ [rattle-structured AuNR@mSiO2] NPs. The rattle-structured AuNR@mSiO2 and FITC/FA@ [rattle-structured AuNR@mSiO2] NPs showed little inherent cytotoxicity, whereas the SF loaded FITC/FA@ [rattle-structured
AuNR@mSiO2] NPs was highly cytotoxic in the case of MCF-7 cell line. Finally, Fluorescence microscopy
and flow cytometry were used to demonstrate that the nanoparticles could be accumulated
in specific regions and SF loaded FITC/FA@ [Fe3O4@Au] NPs efficiently induce apoptosis in MCF-7 cell line [Graphical Abstract].
Key words
Breast cancer - FITC and folic acid - in vitro and in vivo - Multi-functioned rattle-structured
AuNR@mSiO
2 nanoparticles - Sulforaphane