Abstract
Photothermal therapy (PTT) for cancer treatment is the use of heat between 41 and 45 °C to damage cancer cells. As a new type of transducer agent for PTT of cancer, CuS nanoparticles have several advantages. The most favorable features are the low cost, simple, and easy preparation and small size for targeting. However, the CuS nanoparticle PTT efficacy needs to be improved for practical applications. In this study, the CuS nano-PTT efficiency is enhanced via the local field enhancement from Ag nanoparticle surface plasmon coupling. The results show that absorbance of CuS nanoparticles in Ag/CuS nanocomposites is enhanced about four times by Ag nanoparticle surface plasmon coupling. Consequently, the PTT efficacy is enhanced and a power of 0.6 W/cm2 with a 980-nm laser is sufficient for Ag/CuS nano-PTT activation for cancer treatment in vitro observations.
Highlights
Cancer remains one of the most deadly and challenging diseases in the world
We have studied and observed the absorption enhancement of CuS by surface plasmon in Au/CuS nanocomposites and the application of Au/CuS for cancer treatment with improved efficacy (Lakshmanan et al 2012)
The diameters of the Ag/CuS nanocomposites are in the range of 10–20 nm and they have a high absorbance in the near-infrared region
Summary
Cancer remains one of the most deadly and challenging diseases in the world. In 2008, 7.6 million people died of cancer. Laser irradiation at near-infrared (NIR) frequencies can penetrate tissues with sufficient intensity and higher spatial precision for inducing localized hyperthermia (Castrén-Persons et al 1991; Chen et al 1997), but effective mechanisms are needed to transduce light energy into heat and to discriminate unhealthy from healthy cells (Huff et al 2007). We investigate the enhancement of CuS nanoparticle PTT efficacy by Ag nanoparticle surface plasmon coupling in Ag/CuS nanocomposites for cancer treatment. We have studied and observed the absorption enhancement of CuS by surface plasmon in Au/CuS nanocomposites and the application of Au/CuS for cancer treatment with improved efficacy (Lakshmanan et al 2012). As photothermal transducer agents for cancer treatment, Ag/CuS nanocomposites might have a higher potential and better market than Au nanostructures and Au/CuS nanocomposites
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