Conductive polymer-based nanoparticles for laser-mediated photothermal ablation of cancer: synthesis, characterization, and in vitro evaluation.

Laser-mediated photothermal ablation of cancer cells aided by photothermal agents is a promising strategy for localized, externally controlled cancer treatment. We report the synthesis, characterization, and in vitro evaluation of conductive polymeric nanoparticles (CPNPs) of poly(diethyl-4,4'-{[2,5-bis(2,3-dihydrothieno[3,4-b][1,4]dioxin-5-yl)-1,4-phenylene] bis(oxy)}dibutanoate) (P1) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) stabilized with 4-dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid and poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid--maleic acid) as photothermal ablation agents. The nanoparticles were prepared by oxidative-emulsion polymerization, yielding stable aqueous suspensions of spherical particles of <100 nm diameter as determined by dynamic light scattering and electron microscopy.

Nanoparticle-mediated photothermal therapy: a comparative study of heating for different particle types.

Introduction: Near-infrared (NIR) absorbing plasmonic nanoparticles enhance photothermal therapy of tumors. In this procedure, systemically delivered gold nanoparticles preferentially accumulate at the tumor site and when irradiated using laser light, produce localized heat sufficient to damage tumor cells. Gold nanoshells and nanorods have been widely studied for this purpose, and while both exhibit strong NIR absorption, their overall absorption and scattering properties differ widely due to their geometry.

Copper selenide nanocrystals for photothermal therapy.

Ligand-stabilized copper selenide (Cu(2-x)Se) nanocrystals, approximately 16 nm in diameter, were synthesized by a colloidal hot injection method and coated with amphiphilic polymer. The nanocrystals readily disperse in water and exhibit strong near-infrared (NIR) optical absorption with a high molar extinction coefficient of 7.7 × 10(7) cm(-1) M(-1) at 980 nm.

Microcontact printing of quantum dot bioconjugate arrays for localized capture and detection of biomolecules.

The nanometer size scale of quantum dots (QDs) along with their unique luminescent properties offers great potential as photostable, color-metrically addressable nanoparticle platforms for high-throughput detection and identification of proteins. Here we apply microcontact printing for assembling quantum dot nanoparticle arrays with retained biomolecular capture functionality onto glass surfaces. This method allows the creation of addressable QD arrays on macroscopic glass surfaces.