BACKGROUND Intense ultrasound, such as that used for tumor ablation, does not differentiate between cancerous and normal cells. A method combining ultrasound and biocompatible gold or magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) was developed under in vitro conditions using human breast and lung epithelial cells, which causes ultrasound to preferentially destroy cancerous cells. RESULTS Co-cultures of BEAS-2...

Acoustic cavitation which occurs at high intensities of ultrasound waves can be fatal for tumor cells. The existence of dissolved gases and also the presence of nanoparticles (NPs) in a liquid, irradiated by ultrasound, decrease the acoustic cavitation onset threshold and the resulting bubbles collapse. On the other hand, due to unique capabilities and optical properties of gold nanoparticles (...

This paper reports a systematic investigation of the growth and attachment of small gold nanoparticles to the functionalized surfaces of larger silica nanoparticles. Dilution of the gold nanoparticles in mixtures of water and ethanol led to the self-assembly of gold nanoparticles in aggregates of regular size and shape attached to the surfaces of the silica nanoparticles. Functionalization of t...

Inflammation plays a crucial role in rheumatoid arthritis progress. In the present work, a novel stealth polymeric nanospheres platform able to carry anti-inflammatory drugs and an imaging agent was developed. Incorporation of gold nanoparticles will allow photoacoustic imaging and near infra-red photothermal application. Through emulsion-diffusion evaporation technique methotrexate and gold na...

Astaxanthin, a kind of photosynthetic pigment, was employed for gold nanoparticle formation. Nanoparticles were characterized using Ulteraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction, and the possible presence of astaxanthin functional groups were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The cytotoxic effect of synthesized nano...

The therapeutic approach for the treatment of HIV infection is based on the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), a cocktail of antiretroviral drugs. Notwithstanding HAART has shown different drawbacks like toxic side effects and the emergence of viral multidrug resistance. Nanotechnology offers new tools to improve HIV drug treatment and prevention. In this scenario, gold nanoparticles...

Previous research has shown that gold nanoparticles can increase the effectiveness of radiation on cancer cells. Improved radiation effectiveness would allow lower radiation doses given to patients, reducing adverse effects; alternatively, it would provide more cancer killing at current radiation doses. Damage from radiation and gold nanoparticles depends in part on the Auger effect, which is v...

BACKGROUND There is an increasing commercial demand for nanoparticles due to their wide applicability in various markets, including medicine, catalysis, electronics, chemistry, and energy. In this report, a simple and ecofriendly chemical reaction for the synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles from Trianthema decandra (Aizoaceae) has been developed. METHODS AND RESULTS On treatment of aqu...

Damage of the normal tissue is a serious concenrn in cancer treatment. Hyperthermia by laserhas been considered as a safe cancer treatments methods with lower harmful effects on normaltissues. Using nanoparticles in cancer treatment has improved laser therapy, which is based ona selective cell targeting method to localize cell damages. Metallic nanoparticles such as gold,silver, and copper have...

Heat generation in plasmonic nanostructures has attracted enormous attention due to the ability of these nanostructures to generate high temperatures in nanoscale volumes using far-field irradiation, enabling applications ranging from photothermal therapy to fast (sub-nanosecond) thermal optical switching. Here we investigate the optical and thermal response of a heterogeneous trimer structure ...