Plasmonic nanoarchitectured systems for biomedical application

Abstract

In this paper we discuss the latest developments in colloidal plasmonics, a field with over a century of history, applied to the biomedical sector. Emphasis is placed on the nanoarchitectonic nature of plasmonic systems that can be used for sensing, drug delivery and manipulation of biomolecules. For instance, quantum effects linked to plasmonic phenomena are being used to enhance monitoring of chiral particles and their interaction with light, which is essential for the pharmaceutical industry in reaching the required enantiopurity in some drugs. In diagnostics, radiofrequency waves can excite surface plasmon resonance through amplified photoacoustic effects, thus permitting thermo-acoustic imaging. An example of enhanced therapy was introduced in carefully designed nanoarchitectures where a multi-branched gold nanooctopus was surrounded by a mesoporous polydopamine and loaded with ribonucleoproteins for the target delivery into tumor cells. Moreover, the longstanding challenge of heating due to Ohmic losses, which has hindered the use of plasmonic tweezers for manipulating biologically relevant analytes, is now being exploited for enhanced trapping, manipulation, and transport of cells and other biological particles. The combination of magnetic materials and plasmonic colloids in the realms of magnetoplasmonics can also be explored in sensing and enhanced drug delivery, which further exemplifies the versatility of nanoarchitectonics.