Gold nanorod-assembled ZnGa2O4:Cr nanofibers for LED-amplified gene silencing in cancer cells

Lun Qin; Peijian Yan; Congkun Xie; Jie Huang; Zhaohui Ren; Xiang Li; Serena Best; Xiujun Cai; Gaorong Han

doi:10.1039/C8NR03802C

Gold nanorod-assembled ZnGa₂O₄:Cr nanofibers for LED-amplified gene silencing in cancer cells†

Lun Qin,^a Peijian Yan,^b Congkun Xie,^a Jie Huang,^c Zhaohui Ren,

^a Xiang Li,

*^a Serena Best,^d Xiujun Cai^b and Gaorong Han^a

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, P. R. China
E-mail: xiang.li@zju.edu.cn

^b Key Laboratory of Endoscopic Technique Research of Zhejiang Province, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, P. R. China

^c Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, Torrington Place, London WC1E 7JE, UK

^d Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0FS, UK

Abstract

Nanoparticles are now commonly used as non-viral gene vectors for RNA interference (RNAi) in cancer therapy but suffer from low targeting efficiency in situ. Meanwhile, localized drug delivery systems do not offer the effective capability for intracellular gene transportation. We describe here the design and synthesis of a localized therapeutic system, consisting of gold nanorods (Au NRs) loaded with hTERT siRNA assembled on the surface of ZnGa₂O₄:Cr (ZGOC) nanofibers. This composite system offers the potential for a LED-induced mild photothermal effect which enhances the phagocytosis of Au NRs carrying siRNA and the subsequent release of siRNA in the cytoplasm. Both phenomena amplify the gene silencing effect and consequently offer the potential for a superior therapeutic outcome.

This article is part of the themed collection: International Year of the Periodic Table: Precious metals for cancer treatment

Supplementary files

Article information

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/C8NR03802C
Article type: Paper
Submitted: 11 May 2018
Accepted: 21 Jun 2018
First published: 26 Jun 2018

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Nanoscale, 2018,10, 13432-13442

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Gold nanorod-assembled ZnGa₂O₄:Cr nanofibers for LED-amplified gene silencing in cancer cells

L. Qin, P. Yan, C. Xie, J. Huang, Z. Ren, X. Li, S. Best, X. Cai and G. Han, Nanoscale, 2018, 10, 13432 DOI: 10.1039/C8NR03802C

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