Arylated gold nanostars aided SERS study of breast cancer cells

Abstract

Anisotropic gold nanomaterials are opening new approaches for the study of cancer cells using high-performance diagnostic devices. Aryldiazonium gold salt, AgNO3, and ascorbic acid were used as shape-directing agent to promote the growth of spikes over the seeds. We synthesized covalently aryl functionalized gold nanostars via diazonium route using three AgNO3 concentrations of 1 × 10−1, 5 × 10−1, and 1 × 10−4 M for spikes length optimization. The seed and growth solutions were mixed and left undisturbed for 24 h. Transmission electron microscopy results showed that the spike sharpness and length were decreased with increasing AgNO3 concentration. The biocompatible AuNS were incubated with human breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231 and the cellular uptake was estimated using confocal microscopy. Different cancer cell concentrations range of 10–500 cells/mL were used for SERS study. Our results highlight the significance of nano spike-morphology in SERS study on cellular components and efficient cellular uptake of AuNS by MDA-MB-231 compared to normal cells, jointly is important for developing nanomedicines for cancer therapy.