Plasmonic-Upconversion NaYF₄:Eu³⁺,Ga³⁺,Te⁴⁺@Au Nanocomposites for pH/NIR-Responsive Cisplatin Delivery and Combined Chemo-Photothermal Treatment of Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Cells

Mirsadeghi, Somayeh; Pourmortazavi, Seied Mahdi; Zandavar, Hamed; Roushani, Mahmoud

doi:10.22034/fcr.2026.2091111.1031

Plasmonic-Upconversion NaYF₄:Eu³⁺,Ga³⁺,Te⁴⁺@Au Nanocomposites for pH/NIR-Responsive Cisplatin Delivery and Combined Chemo-Photothermal Treatment of Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Cells

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Somayeh Mirsadeghi ¹

Seied Mahdi Pourmortazavi ²

Hamed Zandavar ²

Mahmoud Roushani ¹

¹ Ilam University

² Malek Ashtar University of Technology

10.22034/fcr.2026.2091111.1031

Abstract

Multifunctional nanoplatforms that combine imaging, controlled drug delivery, and photothermal conversion may provide complementary treatment functions for aggressive cancers. Here, plasmonic-upconversion NaYF₄:Eu³⁺,Ga³⁺,Te⁴⁺@Au nanocomposites were prepared by in situ deposition of approximately 10 nm Au nanoparticles on approximately 40 nm doped NaYF₄ cores and subsequently conjugated with an SH-PEG-Cis-Pt prodrug. The design integrates an acid-labile hydrazone-containing linker with Te-Pt coordination to provide pH- and NIR-responsive cisplatin release. TEM/HRTEM, XRD, FTIR, XPS, DLS/zeta potential, UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy, and upconversion luminescence (UCL) measurements were used for physicochemical characterization. The maximum reported drug loading was 51.62%. Cis-Pt release was limited at pH 7.4 (approximately 6% at 72 h) but increased under acidic conditions (approximately 45% at pH 4.5) and under NIR irradiation (approximately 75%). Under 808 nm irradiation (1.5 W cm⁻²), a 400 µg mL⁻¹ dispersion reached approximately 56.7 °C after 10 min. In SW1736 anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cells, the unloaded carrier showed no loss of viability without irradiation over the tested concentration range, whereas the Cis-Pt-loaded formulation under irradiation reduced normalized viability to approximately 3%, indicating a strong combined chemo-photothermal effect. UCL imaging further demonstrated time-dependent cellular association of the nanocomposite. These results establish an in vitro proof of concept; normal-cell safety, pharmacokinetics, and in vivo therapeutic performance remain to be determined.

Keywords

Up-conversion nanomaterial

Plasmonic

Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer

Photothermal therapy

Chemotherapy

Subjects