Green Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles by Celastrol for Chemotherapy and Photothermal Anticancer Therapy

Abstract

The green synthesis of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) using extracts or active ingredients from traditional Chinese medicine presents a novel approach characterized by simplicity, environmental friendliness, and independence from specific conditions. This innovative method combines the photothermal conversion properties of Au NPs with the chemotherapeutic effects of traditional Chinese medicine components, significantly enhancing anticancer efficacy. Celastrol (Cel), an effective medicinal ingredient extracted from the traditional Chinese herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f. (TW), exhibits outstanding anticancer properties. In this study, Cel was successfully employed for the novel green synthesis of gold nanoparticles, forming Cel-Au NPs with a particle size of 50[Formula: see text]nm. Cel-Au NPs demonstrated excellent photothermal responsiveness, thermostability, and biocompatibility. The cytotoxicity of Cel-Au NPs on A549 cells reached approximately 80% upon exposure to 808[Formula: see text]nm near-infrared (NIR) irradiation. The anticancer activity was attributed to the induction of apoptosis and necrosis, achieved by elevating intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and modulating the expression of apoptosis-related proteins. In conclusion, our synthesized Cel-Au NPs exhibited exceptional capabilities in chemotherapy and photothermal therapy, demonstrating excellent therapeutic efficacy and safety for cancer treatment.

Keywords

• Gold nanoparticles
• traditional Chinese medicine
• photothermal responsiveness
• chemotherapeutics
• anticancer activity