2011 June 8; 11(6): 2560–2566. | Colin M. Hessel†, Varun Pattani†, Michael Rasch†, Matthew G. Panthani†, Bonil Koo§, James W. Tunnell†, and Brian A. Korgel†.
Copper selenide (Cu2−xSe) nanocrystals, synthesized by a colloidal hot injection method and coated with an amphiphilic polymer, exhibit strong near-infrared (NIR) optical absorption with a high molar extinction coefficient of 7.7 × 10^7 cm^-1 M^-1 at 980 nm. When excited with 800 nm light, these nanocrystals produce significant photothermal heating with a photothermal transduction efficiency of 22%, comparable to gold nanorods and nanoshells. In vitro studies using human colorectal cancer cells (HCT-116) showed that Cu2−xSe nanocrystals, when illuminated with 800 nm light, induced cell death after 5 minutes of laser irradiation at 33 W/cm^2, demonstrating their potential for photothermal therapy applications. The biocompatibility of the polymer-coated Cu2−xSe nanocrystals was also evaluated, showing no cytotoxicity up to 6 hours of incubation. These findings highlight the potential of Cu2−xSe nanocrystals as effective photothermal therapy agents due to their small hydrodynamic diameter, which allows for prolonged blood circulation times and targeted delivery.Copper selenide (Cu2−xSe) nanocrystals, synthesized by a colloidal hot injection method and coated with an amphiphilic polymer, exhibit strong near-infrared (NIR) optical absorption with a high molar extinction coefficient of 7.7 × 10^7 cm^-1 M^-1 at 980 nm. When excited with 800 nm light, these nanocrystals produce significant photothermal heating with a photothermal transduction efficiency of 22%, comparable to gold nanorods and nanoshells. In vitro studies using human colorectal cancer cells (HCT-116) showed that Cu2−xSe nanocrystals, when illuminated with 800 nm light, induced cell death after 5 minutes of laser irradiation at 33 W/cm^2, demonstrating their potential for photothermal therapy applications. The biocompatibility of the polymer-coated Cu2−xSe nanocrystals was also evaluated, showing no cytotoxicity up to 6 hours of incubation. These findings highlight the potential of Cu2−xSe nanocrystals as effective photothermal therapy agents due to their small hydrodynamic diameter, which allows for prolonged blood circulation times and targeted delivery.