Self-Assembled Au/CuS Nanoparticles for Targeted Imaging and Multimodal Therapy of Breast Cancer

With the rapid development of nanotechnology, many multifunctional bionanoplatforms have been developed for cancer treatment. Here, we have developed targeted multimodal nanoparticles for breast cancer imaging and treatment. Using a solvent-induced self-assembly technique, we prepared a nanomaterial (Au/CuS NPs) composed of gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) and copper sulfide nanoparticles (CuS NPs). The composite nanoparticles possess both the bioimaging ability of Au NCs and the photothermal properties of CuS NPs. To target folate receptors overexpressing breast cancer cells, we modified the nanoparticle surfaces with folic acid. Furthermore, we easily loaded doxorubicin into the nanoparticles using electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonding, achieving a drug encapsulation efficiency of 47.8%. In vitro experiments showed that the prepared composite nanomaterials had excellent fluorescence imaging ability and a better ability to kill MDA-MB-231 cells than single drug or photothermal treatment alone. This multifunctional system, which combines fluorescence imaging, photothermal treatment, and targeted drug delivery, has great potential for cancer diagnosis and treatment.