Bimetallic silver nanoparticle-gold nanocluster embedded composite nanoparticles for cancer theranostics.

A bimetallic silver nanoparticle based gold nanocluster module has been developed for theranostic cellular application by a rapid and simple galvanic exchange method. The use of chitosan as a template has helped to convert the bimetallic system into composite nanoparticles, which can be easily delivered into cancer cells. The synthesized composite nanoparticles offer the advantage of combinatorial properties of the metals present in two different nanoscale levels enabling both killing and bioimaging of cancer cells. Detailed molecular events of cell death were illustrated for this combined module to decipher apoptotic mediated cell death.