Facile synthesis and intraparticle self-catalytic oxidation of dextran-coated hollow Au-Ag nanoshell and its application for chemo-thermotherapy

Galvanic replacement reaction is a useful method to prepare various hollow nanostructures. We developed fast and facile preparation of biocompatible and structurally robust hollow Au-Ag nanostructures by using dextran-coated Ag nanoparticles. Oxidation of the surface dextran alcohols was enabled by catalytic activity of the core Au-Ag nanostructure, introducing carbonyl groups that are useful for further bioconjugation. Subsequent doxorubicin (Dox) conjugation via Schiff base formation was achieved, giving high payload of approximately 35 000 Dox per particle. Near-infrared-mediated photothermal conversion showed high efficacy of the Dox-loaded Au-Ag nanoshell as a combinational chemo-thermotherapy to treat cancer cells.