Surfactant-Free Preparation of Au@Resveratrol Hollow Nanoparticles with Photothermal Performance and Antioxidant Activity

Nanocomposites based on hollow Au nanostructures have gained considerable attention in theranostics applications because of their unique plasmonic structures and attractive physicochemical properties. The exploration of feasible and facile methods for constructing multifunctional nanocomposites combined with bioactive molecules is greatly needed for the development of multifunctional theranostics platforms. In this work, resveratrol, a natural polyphenol with antioxidant activity and cancer-chemopreventive propertyies is employed as the reducing agent cum coating agent for the surfactant-free preparation of Au@resveratrol hollow NPs (Au@Res HNPs). The as-prepared Au@Res HNPs were found to present good photothermal performance and chemical inhibition for cancer therapy. In vitro experiments indicated that the Au@Res HNPs can block cell cycles to inhibit cell division and lead to cell apoptosis after 808-nm laser irradiation. Because no toxic surfactants are introduced, the current protocol avoids the tedious surfactant separation and surface modification processes that are necessary for most theranostics materials.