Synthesis and characterization of gold nanoparticles as diagnostic and therapeutic tool

Nanomedicine covers the use of nanoparticles to the targeted site of action as platforms for building imaging and therapeutic agents against cancer and other human diseases. In particular, gold nanoparticles (AuNp's) have proven to be efficient for the diagnosis and therapy. Interest in the development of AuNp's is due to their extraordinary physical and chemical properties resulting from the effect of its size in the nanoscale, to have an area of easy modification and the radioactive γ and β emitter (198Au; Eγ = 0,411 MeV, βmax = 0,96 MeV; T1/2 = 2,69 days), having the advantage of being able to be applied as a diagnostic tool for molecular photon emission tomography (SPECT) using only a small amount of radioactive gold . In this study were synthesized AuNp's, whose surface is functionalized with a biocompatible polymer (modified polyethylene glycol) and folic acid in order to render them stealth and specific tumors that over express the folate receptors. The techniques of Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), zeta potential (ζ), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV-Visible absorption spectroscopy were employed to characterization of the size and geometry of the nanoparticles, in addition to confirming its binding to thiol -PEG and PEG-thiol Folate. The results of UV-Visible and TEM showed the formation of dispersed AuNp's ranging in size from 8-12 nm with a strong absorption around 520 nm, relating to a maximum of surface plasmon resonance. DLS results showed a hydrodynamic diameter of 10 and 14 nm. The (pH ∼ 5.0 to 6.0) ranged ζ potential values of the dispersions prepared between -16.2 and -42.1 mV, indicating stable colloidal suspensions. To determine the real concentration of gold in the samples, it was used neutron activation in the nuclear reactor TRIGA MARK I IPR-R1 CDTN / CNEN of Belo Horizonte. Biocompatibility studies in vitro and in vivo of the samples were carried out showing that they have low toxicity in the models used. We evaluated studies of the internalization of gold nanoparticles functionalized with thiol-PEG-folate-FITC in cells over expressing folate receptors. It was found that the nanoparticles are able to enter the cell, is distributed throughout the cytoplasm and nucleus. According to the results obtained, it can be concluded that it was produced gold nanoparticles dispersed stealth and specific for tumors that overexpression folate. (author)