Gold Nanoparticle-Based Laser Photothermal Therapy

Abstract

Laser photothermal therapy using gold nanoparticles in cancer research has attracted a lot of attentions in past decades, since it provides an alternative approach to traditional hyperthermia methods. This review is focused on advancements in gold nanoparticle development and the underlying mechanisms to confine heat generation in tumors when these nanoparticles interact with an incident laser. First, an overview of hyperthermia used in medicine is given, and the development of gold nanoparticles in laser photothermal therapy is discussed. Second, physical mechanisms in generating heat utilizing gold nanoparticles, nanoparticle delivery, and toxicity reaction after injection are described. The next section is focused on evaluation of performance of laser photothermal therapy in clinical/animal studies. Monte Carlo methods are presented to demonstrate current theoretical simulation approaches to determine laser energy absorption distribution in tissue enhanced by gold nanoparticles. Furthermore, modeling heat transfer and assessing thermal damage in biological tissue using gold nanoparticles in designing treatment protocols are described to show a typical designing process. At the end of this review, the current challenges facing clinicians and researchers in delivering effective and safe thermal dosage in laser photothermal therapy are discussed.