Gold Nanoparticle-Enabled Cancer Therapy: Translational Design Rules for Photothermal-Immunotherapy and Multimodal Precision Oncology.
4 affiliations
- 1Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., Lianyungang 222007, China.
- 2Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Medical University, Xi'an 710021, China.
- 3Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand.
- 4Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Medical University, Xi'an 710021, China.
Abstract
Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are versatile cancer-therapy platforms with tunable plasmonic properties, high atomic number, accessible surface chemistry, and potential for integration into theranostic systems. By controlling size, morphology, surface composition, and cargo-loading strategies, AuNPs can support photothermal therapy (PTT), chemotherapy delivery, nucleic-acid transport, radiosensitization, photodynamic therapy (PDT), sonodynamic therapy (SDT), and image-guided treatment. Among these applications, AuNP-mediated PTT is particularly attractive because localized hyperthermia can induce tumor-cell injury, support controlled cargo release, and, under appropriate conditions, contribute to immunogenic cell death and remodeling of the tumor immune microenvironment. However, promising preclinical findings have not translated into widespread routine oncology practice. Major barriers include heterogeneous tumor accumulation, limited penetration beyond perivascular regions, mononuclear phagocyte system uptake, uncertain long-term biodistribution and clearance, inadequate manufacturing reproducibility, and incomplete safety standardization. The enhanced permeability and retention effect is variable across tumors, lesions, and patients; it should not be regarded as a universal basis for clinical nanoparticle delivery. This review summarizes the physicochemical design principles governing AuNP biological performance and critically evaluates their major therapeutic uses in oncology. Particular emphasis is placed on photothermal-immunotherapy, tumor-microenvironment modulation, multimodal synergy, and pharmacokinetic, toxicological, manufacturing, and regulatory barriers. We propose a translational framework connecting material quality attributes, route of administration and in vivo fate, local energy delivery and thermal dosimetry, immune activation, patient selection, and clinically meaningful endpoints. This framework may guide development of more reproducible, controllable, and clinically relevant AuNP cancer therapies.
Related
- From Formulation Quality to Anti-Tumor Immunity: A Multimodal Imaging and Translational Framework for mRNA–Lipid Nanoparticle Cancer Vaccines in Preclinical Tumor Models
- Biomimetic mycobacterial dual spatiotemporal targeting induces trained immunity for tuberculosis photothermal immunotherapy and relapse prevention
- Combined Immune‐Peptide Nanofiber with HSP70/AKT/mTOR Axis Blockade Enhances Photothermal Immunotherapy, Inhibiting Tumor Growth and Recurrence
- Fe-doped polydopamine pickering emulsion as a nanoplatform for synergistic photothermal-ferroptosis immunotherapy in breast cancer
- Cryogenically Deposited Plasmonic Au Nanoparticle Films for Photothermal Treatment of Lung Cancer Cells
BibTeX
@article{ma2026gold,
title = {{Gold Nanoparticle-Enabled Cancer Therapy: Translational Design Rules for Photothermal-Immunotherapy and Multimodal Precision Oncology.}},
author = {Xianghua Ma and Wen Xu and Chuda Chittasupho and Dian Zhang},
journal = {Pharmaceutics},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/pharmaceutics18101309},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42942840},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Gold Nanoparticle-Enabled Cancer Therapy: Translational Design Rules for Photothermal-Immunotherapy and Multimodal Precision Oncology.
AU - Xianghua Ma
AU - Wen Xu
AU - Chuda Chittasupho
AU - Dian Zhang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - Pharmaceutics
DO - 10.3390/pharmaceutics18101309
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42942840
AB - Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are versatile cancer-therapy platforms with tunable plasmonic properties, high atomic number, accessible surface chemistry, and potential for integration into theranostic systems. By controlling size, morphology, surface composition, and cargo-loading strategies, AuNPs can support photothermal therapy (PTT), chemotherapy delivery, nucleic-acid transport, radiosensitization, photodynamic therapy (PDT), sonodynamic therapy (SDT), and image-guided treatment. Among these applications, AuNP-mediated PTT is particularly attractive because localized hyperthermia can induce tumor-cell injury, support controlled cargo release, and, under appropriate conditions, contribute to immunogenic cell death and remodeling of the tumor immune microenvironment. However, promising preclinical findings have not translated into widespread routine oncology practice. Major barriers include heterogeneous tumor accumulation, limited penetration beyond perivascular regions, mononuclear phagocyte system uptake, uncertain long-term biodistribution and clearance, inadequate manufacturing reproducibility, and incomplete safety standardization. The enhanced permeability and retention effect is variable across tumors, lesions, and patients; it should not be regarded as a universal basis for clinical nanoparticle delivery. This review summarizes the physicochemical design principles governing AuNP biological performance and critically evaluates their major therapeutic uses in oncology. Particular emphasis is placed on photothermal-immunotherapy, tumor-microenvironment modulation, multimodal synergy, and pharmacokinetic, toxicological, manufacturing, and regulatory barriers. We propose a translational framework connecting material quality attributes, route of administration and in vivo fate, local energy delivery and thermal dosimetry, immune activation, patient selection, and clinically meaningful endpoints. This framework may guide development of more reproducible, controllable, and clinically relevant AuNP cancer therapies.
SN - 1999-4923
ER -