Gold Nanorods Bioconjugates for Intracellular Delivery and Cancer Cell Apoptosis.

The aim of this study was to identify an improved delivery scheme for intracellular delivery and anticancer therapy. Novel gold nanorods (GNRs) bioconjugates were prepared by using GNRs as nonviral vectors conjugated with thiol-modified antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ASODNs). We then investigated the possibility of using GNRs as carriers for nucleus delivery of ASODNs genes by using confocal microscopy and cell transmission electron microscope imaging. Our results demonstrate that the GNRs-ASODNs entered into the cell nucleus and increased cell apoptosis. Therefore, the GNRs could hold great promise for biological delivery applications and gene therapy.