CNR ExploRA

Articolo in rivista, 2023, ENG, 10.1016/j.bioadv.2022.213272

Au nanoparticles decorated nanographene oxide-based platform: Synthesis, functionalization and assessment of photothermal activity

Vischio, Fabio; Carrieri, Livianna Bianco, Giuseppe Valerio; Petronella, Francesca; Depalo, Nicoletta; Fanizza, Elisabetta Scavo, Maria Principia De Sio, Luciano; Calogero, Antonella; Striccoli, Marinella; Agostiano, Angela; Giannelli, Gianluigi; Curri, Maria Lucia; Ingrosso, Chiara

Department of Chemistry, University of Bari, Via E. Orabona 4, Bari, 70125, Italy CNR-IPCF Bari Division, Via Orabona 4, Bari, 70125, Italy Personalized Medicine Laboratory, National Institute of Gastroenterology "S. De Bellis", Via Turi 21, 70013 - Castellana Grotte, Bari, Italy CNR-NANOTEC Bari Division, via Orabona 4, Bari, 70125, Italy; CNR-IC, Via Salaria Km 29.300, 00015 Monterotondo, Rome, Italy; Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Research Center for Biophotonics, Sapienza University of Rome, Corso della Repubblica 79, Latina, 04100, Italy; Scientific Direction, National Institute of Gastroenterology "S. De Bellis", Via Turi 27, 70013 Castellana Grotte, Bari, Italy.

A novel hybrid nanocomposite formed of carboxylated Nano Graphene Oxide (c-NGO), highly densely decorated by monodisperse citrate-coated Au nanoparticles (c-NGO/Au NPs), is synthesized and thoroughly characterized for photothermal applications. A systematic investigation of the role played by the synthetic parameters on the Au NPs decoration of the c-NGO platform is performed, comprehensively studying spectroscopic and morphological characteristics of the achieved nanostructures, thus elucidating their still not univocally explained synthesis mechanism. Remarkably, the Au NPs coating density of the c-NGO sheets is much higher than state-of-the-art systems with analogous composition prepared with different approaches, along with a higher NPs size dispersion. A novel theoretical approach for estimating the average number of NPs per sheet, combining DLS and TEM results, is developed. The assessment of the c-NGO/Au NPs photothermal activity is performed under continuous wave (CW) laser irradiation, at 532 nm and 800 nm, before and after functionalization with PEG-SH. c-NGO/Au NPs composite behaves as efficient photothermal agent, with a light into heat conversion ability higher than that of the single components. The c-NGO/Au NPs compatibility for photothermal therapy is assessed by in vitro cell viability tests, which show no significant effects of c-NGO/Au NPs, as neat and PEGylated, on cell metabolic activity under the investigated conditions. These results demonstrate the great potential held by the prepared hybrid nanocomposite for photothermal conversion technologies, indicating it as particularly promising platform for photothermal ablation of cancer cells

MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING C-MATERIALS FOR BIOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS