Long-Circulating Au-TiO Nanocomposite as a Sonosensitizer for ROS-Mediated Eradication of Cancer.

Although sonodynamic therapy (SDT) has emerged as a potential alternative to conventional photodynamic therapy, the low quantum yield of the sonosensitizer such as TiO nanoparticles (NPs) is still a major concern. Here, we have developed hydrophilized Au-TiO nanocomposites (HAu-TiO NCs) as sonosensitizers for improved SDT. The physicochemical properties of HAu-TiO NCs were thoroughly studied and compared with their counterparts without gold deposition. Upon exposure of HAu-TiO NCs to ultrasound, a large quantity of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were generated, leading to complete suppression of tumor growth after their systemic administration in vivo. Overall, it was evident that the composites of gold with TiO NPs significantly augmented the levels of ROS generation, implying their potential as SDT agents for cancer therapy.