Abstract
PEGylation refers to the process of functionalizing nanoparticles with polyethylene glycol (PEG) to avoid unspecific uptake by the mononuclear phagocyte system and prolong the circulation half-life of nanomedicines. Immunogenicity and nonbiodegradability are the major limitations in PEGylation that can be resolved by substituting PEG with biofriendly polymers, such as hydroxyethyl starch (HES). In the current study, thiolated hydroxyethyl starch (HES-SH, 130/0.4) was harnessed to stabilize gold nanorods (AuNRs) and compared with PEG-SH-coated AuNRs at different aspects of characterization and photothermal analysis. Our results confirm that AuNRs were functionalized successfully with both HES-SH and PEG-SH, where the initial spectra and colloidal stability of gold nanorods were restored after functionalization. In addition, the photothermal conversion stability of gold nanorods was maintained during both HESylation and PEGylation without affecting the heat generation. In summary, we presume that HES-SH can be used as a surface modifier to stabilize gold nanorods and might be used as a promising alternative to PEG.
Highlights
Surface modifiers are extensively added to functionalize desired nanoparticles in order to achieve diagnostic and targeted therapeutic goals in the nanomedicine field [1]
hydroxyethyl starch (HES) (130/0.4) was mixed with monochloroacetic acid (MCA) in the presence of an alkaline solution under the application of heat. 1H NMR characterization was performed and analyzed as suggested by Wu et al [18] using NMR spectrometer, and the similar patterns of NMR spectra were observed. 1H NMR spectra of HES and HES-COOH are shown in Figures 2(a) and 2(b), respectively
While comparing the bands b and c, the significant difference was shown around the peak 1637 cm-1, which displays that there is a stretch at -CONH- bond in the amide group of HES-PDA indicating the presence of PDA in the reaction
Summary
Surface modifiers are extensively added to functionalize desired nanoparticles in order to achieve diagnostic and targeted therapeutic goals in the nanomedicine field [1]. Most of the common surface modifiers are hydrophilic polymers that inhibit the aggregation between nanoparticles in an aqueous solvent [2]. High stability has made PEG more inclined to targeted delivery as a surface modifier of nanoparticles, which is a “gold standard” approach to alleviate the cytotoxicity in anticancer therapy [8]. PEGylation has been reported to offer the nanoparticles an extended circulation time in vivo and an improved solubility rate to hydrophobic drugs with low nonspecific cytotoxicity [9, 10]
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