AntiCD44 antibody-conjugated gold nanoparticles for targeted photothermal therapy of endometriotic cells

Endometriosis is a chronic gynecologic disease that needs newer and safer treatments. The proposed work aims to develop a nanosystem based on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to actively target human endometriosis CD44(+) cells and significantly reduce their viability by photothermal therapy (PTT). AuNPs stabilized by lipoic acid-Poly(ethylene glycol)-Maleimide (LA-PEG-Mal) (Au@P) were decorated with antiCD44 antibodies (Au@P_AbCD44) through maleimide chemistry. The physicochemical and biochemical approaches revealed the presence of the antibody on Au@P_AbCD44. The <i>in vitro</i> studies were conducted against overexpressing CD44 cells (12Z), low-expressing CD44 cells (HESC), and the normal fibroblast cell line (NIH-3T3). Following the internalization through the clathrin-mediated endocytosis, the PTT of the cell-internalized Au@P_AbCD44 was investigated using two distinct laser types, due to the differing Au@P's LSPR properties. Au@P_AbCD44 exhibited significant PTT efficacy against 12Z cells; however, GNS@P_AbCD44 required lower energy input compared to GNP@P_AbCD44. This enhanced performance is attributed to the LSPR-mediated photothermal conversion efficiency of GNS over GNPs.In both cases, the apoptotic pathway was selected by dying cells over necrotic cells. The results revealed a better photothermal ability of GNS@P_AbCD44 compared to GNP@P_AbCD44. Our findings highlight the clinical potential of gold nanostars as advanced photosensitizers for targeted photothermal therapy, offering a promising strategy for more effective and less invasive treatment of endometriosis.