Emissive and Radiodense Stealth Plasmonic Nanohybrid as X-ray Contrast and Photo-ablation Agent of Cancer Cells

Abstract Biodegradation and site-selective theranostic ability are critical concerns in cancer nanomedicine. Herein, we report a biodegradable plasmonic nanohybrid called H-PhotoFluor towards augmenting the dynamic contrast ability, focalized tumor imaging, and efficient ablation of cancer cells. Integrated hyaluronic acid (HA) targeting ligand, gold nanoshells, and fluorescent graphene quantum dots (GQDs) induce the multimodality in engineered nanohybrid. The ridges of deposited gold nanoparticles help in the efficient binding of HA that augments the entrapment of GQDs. The active targeting here is achieved with the help of HA coating that selectively targets CD44 receptors. The pivotal element in focused imaging is attained by GQDs. These photothermally active radiodense engineered H-PhotoFluor (∼140 nm) have been tested for targeted tumor imaging and site-selective cancer cell destruction. Hemocompatibility, biocompatibility, biodegradability, photothermal activity and cellular internalization of H-PhotoFluor have been studied systematically. The observed outcomes of the aforementioned studies make H-PhotoFluor, a clinically relevant nanotheranostic agent.