Photothermic: against Tumors with gold


Gold for its economic value is known, turns out to save the other advantage in the field of health and medicine. Gold in the form of nanoparticles is able to use to fight the tumor. This remarkable object is the reason behind its use for a new kind of cancer therapy. This idea can destroy tumors with photothermal — in other words, it heats the tumor with gold nanoparticles are exposed to light.

Eradicate the tumors or cancer by means of heating, at least pay attention to three things: the level of tumor that should be accurate, precise mechanism for generating heat, and a very precise temperature measuring. Gold nanoparticles do it well enough to achieve the first two. The third part — the temperature measuring precision — has not yet been achieved for some time. But, now it seems the gold nanoparticles can give these three things in full.

In the scale of nanometric a millionth meters gold has other outstanding properties. On this scale, the gold particles can have a variety of colors depending on shape and size. Gold has been used since ancient times to give color to the glass and earthenware. For example, a very powerful Ruby hue. When the light illuminates the nanogold particles, the electron conduction in metals is attracted by light waves and start oscillating. This very strong oscillation for certain colors in the light spectrum. This is called resonance.

By changing the shape or size of the nanoparticles, then allow it to be able to choose the frequency of the resonance which has the strongest interaction with light. Nanoparticles are then showed little reaction as the antenna is very effective and, although very small and thin, can provide the bright colors in the stained glass.

How nanoparticles shine can also contain information about the temperature. Perfecting treatments, then extract the temperature information.

When a laser beam on metal, the electrons are free to move around the pursuit of the electric field of the light. So, when the electric field vector and amplitude changing light, the electrons feel the field strength and pushed back and forth.

In nanoparticles, the electron does not have much room to move. So when the light pushes the electron, the electron can only flow from one end of the nanoparticles to the other end. This is very similar to the water in the container. Shake the container on the right frequencies and waves of water will accumulate until the spill. This is because the container is shaken by the resonance frequency of the waves flowing in it. The same goes for the gold nanoparticles: the right color light illuminates on the particles, and electrons will be driven at resonance of surface plasmon resonance is called.

The strength of this oscillation is what makes gold nanoparticles shine so bright: they hold a large number of electrons accelerates back and forth, emit energy as a photon. Nanoparticles will not give exclusively the same color with a laser beam that we use. A large number of light has a red color, and a small number have a blue color.

The tendency of the tumor to collect gold nanoparticles produce good markers that can be used to describe cancer. For example, nanoparticles of gold will shine very brightly when illuminated, usually, the light is red. This light can be imaged, even if the tumor is deep enough in the body. Or, the gold nanoparticles can be attached to the contrast agent that is designed to appear in the MRI scanner. Even the imaging x-ray can be used.

Underexposure to light, gold nanoparticles to heat up and "ripen" the tumor, thereby destroying the cancer cells. In-depth research using animals with brain cancer, prostate, and pancreatic as his model has done. Clinical trials are also conducted in the U.S. in patients treated for head and neck cancer that is resistant to treatment, and cancer of the lung and prostate therapy using AuroLase (Nanospectra Bioscience).

Another possibility, nanoparticles can also be used not only as weapons to fight the tumor but as a means of transportation (also known as a vector) for delivering molecules, for example, medication to their goal. This technique requires a little more warming. The use of vector should reduce toxins from treatment by targeting cancer cells.


Photothermic nanoparticles of gold are new therapies in the treatment of cancer. It is already being used experimentally on patients with some specific cancers, although much research is still needed before it can be adopted more widely. In the future, this technique should target tumors more effectively and exclusively. With the development of research, this therapy will be available in addition to existing treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, within the next few years.

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