Integrin α_(v)β_(3)-targeted polydopamine-coated gold nanostars for photothermal ablation therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma

Photothermal therapy(PTT)has emerged as a promising cancer therapeutic method.In this study,Arg-Gly-Asp(RGD)peptide-conjugated polydopamine-coated gold nanostars(Au@PDA-RGD NPs)were prepared for targeting PTT of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).A polydopamine(PDA)shell was coated on the surface of gold nanostars by the oxidative self-polymerization of dopamine(termed as Au@PDA NPs).Au@PDA NPs were further functionalized with polyethylene glycol and RGD peptide to improve biocompatibility as well as selectivity toward the HCC cells.Au@PDARGD NPs showed an intense absorption at 822 nm,which makes them suitable for near-infraredexcited PTT.Our results indicated that the Au@PDA-RGD NPs were effective for the PTT therapy of the α_(v)β_(3) integrin receptor-overexpressed HepG2 cells in vitro.Further antitumor mechanism studies showed that the Au@PDA-RGD NPs-based PTT induced human liver cancer cells death via the mitochondrial-lysosomal and autophagy pathways.In vivo experiments showed that Au@PDARGD NPs had excellent tumor treatment efficiency and negligible side effects.Thus,our study showed that Au@PDA-RGD NPs could offer an excellent nanoplatform for PTT of HCC.