Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - National Institute of Laser Enhanced Sciences - Department of Laser Applications in Medical Biological

This work basically studies the effect of gold nanoparticles, as a drug delivery and photothermally active system, on the cytotoxicity of resveratrol, a natural polyphenol produced by several plants. Gold nanoparticles used for loading were synthesized by the direct reaction between resveratrol itself, as a reducing agent, and chloroauric acid in aqueous medium. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and average diameter of the synthesized resveratrol-mediated gold nanoparticles (R*AuNPs) was at 533 nm and ~17 nm respectively. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) imaging showed that the majority of R*AuNPs were spherical or semi-spherical in shape with a distinct coat obviously observed around each particle. Coating material of R*AuNSs was isolated and analyzed using mass spectrometry and FT-IR spectrometry that revealed its polymeric or oligomeric nature meaning that resveratrol underwent oxidative polymerization during the synthesis process.Resveratrol, as a chemotherapeutic agent, was then loaded onto R*AuNSs, using Tween-20 as a linker, with loading capacity up to 11.6 % w/w. R*AuNSs and Resveratrol loaded R*AuNSs (R-R*AuNSs) showed good stability in aqueous media. Release of resveratrol from R*AuNSs in vitro was found to follow zero order kinetics with initial burst release. Cytotoxicity of free and loaded resveratrol (R and R-R*AuNSs) as well as free gold nanospheres (R*AuNSs) was examined under both dark and irradiation conditions using HepG2 cells as a model for cancer cells

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