Silver nanoparticle gated, mesoporous silica coated gold nanorods (AuNR@MS@AgNPs): low premature release and multifunctional cancer theranostic platform.

Multifunctional nanoparticles integrated with an imaging module and therapeutic drugs are promising candidates for future cancer diagnosis and therapy. Mesoporous silica coated gold nanorods (AuNR@MS) have emerged as a novel multifunctional cancer theranostic platform combining the large specific surface area of mesoporous silica, which guarantees a high drug payload, and the photothermal modality of AuNRs. However, premature release and side effects of exogenous stimulus still hinder the further application of AuNR@MS. To address these issues, herein, we proposed a glutathione (GSH)-responsive multifunctional AuNR@MS nanocarrier with in situ formed silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as the capping agent. The inner AuNR core functions as a hyperthermia agent, while the outer mesoporous silica shell exhibits the potential to allow a high drug payload, thus posing itself as an effective drug carrier. With the incorporation of targeting aptamers, the constructed nanocarriers show drug release in accordance with an intracellular GSH level with maximum drug release into tumors and minimum systemic release in the blood. Meanwhile, the photothermal effect of the AuNRs upon application to near-infrared (NIR) light led to a rapid rise in the local temperature, resulting in an enhanced cell cytotoxicity. Such a versatile theranostic system as AuNR@MS@AgNPs is expected to have a wide biomedical application and may be particularly useful for cancer therapy.