Fabrication of mesoporous silica-covered gold nanostars for chemophototherapy

Gold nanomaterials have attracted great interest in the fight against cancer due to their surface features. In this study, gold nanostar (GNS) cloaked with mesoporous silica ( [email protected] 2 ) carriers were prepared for controlled drug release. The GNS core presents a branched morphology with tip-to-tip diameter of 80–120 nm and core of 40–60 nm. In this system, GNS not only served as photothermal agent but also as Raman signal enhancement matrix. After encapsulating doxorubicin (DOX) within the [email protected] 2 carrier, hyaluronic acid (HA) was coated on the [email protected] 2 surface to seal the loaded-drug of channels. The obtained [email protected] 2 /HA displayed pH/enzyme-triggered drug release and photothermal-chemo therapeutic effect.