Gold Nanorods-Based Smart Nanoplatforms for Synergic Thermotherapy and Chemotherapy of Tumor Metastasis

The combination therapy of photothermal therapy and chemotherapy as a promising strategy has drawn extensive attention by overcoming the limitations of conventional treatments in tumor therapy. Gold nanorods-based nanoplatforms were herein designed by integrating doxorubicin (DOX)- and polydopamine-coated gold nanorods (GNRs@PDA) for tumor metastasis inhibition and multifunctional drug delivery. The GNRs@PDA-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-DOX nanocomplex showed robust stability and excellent near-infrared (NIR) photothermal conversion efficiency under laser irradiation. The release of loaded DOX from GNRs@PDA-PEG-DOX nanocomposites was improved in tumor microenvironments. Furthermore, the PDA-functionalized GNR nanocomposites were expected to be potential photoacoustic imaging agents for imaging-guided tumor therapy. Upon NIR laser irradiation, the efficiency of tumor inhibition of GNRs@PDA-PEG-DOX is greater than that of the other group in vitro and in vivo, which was confirmed by immunohistochemistry staining, demonstrating a promising strategy for suppression of tumor metastasis and low long-term systemic toxicity. These results illustrated a promising strategy of tailor-made GNRs@PDA-PEG-DOX nanoplatforms for ablation of tumor and suppression of tumor metastasis in clinical application.