Bio-synthesis of a functionalized whey proteins theranostic nanoprobe with cancer-specific cytotoxicity and as a live/dead cell imaging probe

Abstract

In the recent decades, bio-synthesized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are the most prevalent nanomaterials that widely used in different biomedical applications due to their low toxicity and good stability. Here a facile, cost-effective and eco-friendly approach has been developed for the fabrication of anisotropic AuNPs using the whey proteins (Wh@AuNPs) by mixing an aqueous tetrachloroauric acid with whey for the first time. Interestingly, it was found that the fluorescent signal of Wh@AuNPs could be changed by adding trypan blue (TB) dye to the living cells, so it can be used to identify live and dead cells using fluorescence microscopy. The results showed that the wh@AuNPs have intrinsic specific cytotoxicity against cancer cells, which introduce it as a suitable theranostic nanoparticle.