Targeted delivery of reduced graphene oxide nanosheets using multifunctional ultrasound nanobubbles for visualization and enhanced photothermal therapy.

ABSTRACT: Ultrasound molecular imaging as a promising strategy, which involved the use of molecularly targeted contrast agents, combined the advantages of contrast-enhanced ultrasound with the photothermal effect of reduced graphene oxide (rGO).

Methods and results

The heparin sulfate proteoglycan glypican-3 (GPC3) is a potential molecular target for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we covalently linked biotinylated GPC3 antibody to PEGylated nano-rGO to obtain GPC3-modified rGO-PEG (rGO-GPC3), and then combined rGO-GPC3 with avidinylated nanobubbles (NBs) using biotin-avidin system to prepare NBs-GPC3-rGO with photothermal effect and dispersibility, solubility in physiological environment. The average size of NBs-GPC3-rGO complex was 700.4±52.9 nm due to the polymerization of b

SUBMITTER: Liu Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6255282 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature