Core-Multishell Au@Cu_2–<i>x</i>S@Au Nanoparticles for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering-Guided Low-Intensity Photothermal Cancer Therapy

Abstract

Nanomaterials are proven as suitable alternatives for invasive treatments in cancer patients to help reduce the mortality rate. Thus, incorporating oncological imaging during photothermal therapy widens the scope for hybrid plasmonic nanomaterials in a noninvasive way. We present herein the synthesis of core-multishell Au@Cu2–xS@Au nanoparticles with dual localized surface plasmon resonance in visible and near-infrared spectral regions. The plasmonically engineered nanoparticles were used in in vitro NIR-LED-based low-intensity photothermal therapy (LI-PTT) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based bioimaging. The precise temperature-induced cell apoptosis was explicitly accessed by SERS mapping after treatment. Numerical simulations were carried out on core-multishell nanoparticles to understand the electric field confinement and heat dissipation inside the nanoparticle domain. Moreover, good biocompatibility and stability of hybrid core-multishell nanoparticles make them potential candidates for possible SERS-guided LI-PTT.