Dendrimer nanoclusters loaded with gold nanoparticles for enhanced tumor CT imaging and chemotherapy <i>via</i> an amplified EPR effect
Shewaye Lakew Mekuria, Gaoming Li, Zhiqiang Wang, Wubshet Mekonnen Girma, Aojie Li, Meijuan He, Han Wang, Meera Moydeen Abdulhameed, Mohamed H. El‐Newehy, Xiangyang Shi, Mingwu Shen
Abstract
. We show that DOX/Au@DNCs-PS have a greater DOX penetration and growth inhibition of three-dimensional (3D) tumor spheroids than the single dendrimer counterpart in vitro. Furthermore, the developed Au@DNCs-PS enable a better Au-mediated X-ray attenuation property than the single dendrimer counterpart material. Likely due to the amplified enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, the created Au@DNCs-PS and DOX/Au@DNCs-PS enable better CT imaging and chemotherapeutic effect of a mouse breast tumor model, respectively, than the single dendrimer counterparts. With its proven biocompatibility, the constructed formulation may hold promising potential for development for different cancer nanomedicine applications.