The application of nanogold in tumor imaging and radiotherapy

Nanogold can be modified by various groups and thus target to tumor cells because of its satisfactory surface property and excellent biological affinity, and as its surface plasmon resonance and strong absorption induced luminescence, nanogold can be used in tumor imaging, what's more, nanogold can transform the light absorbed into localized heat in tumor radiotherapy, which plays a radiosensitization effect, therefor reduces the radiation doses and the damage to normal tissue. This article describes the progression of researching targeted nanogold in tumor imaging and radiotherapy, but the distribution, metabolism and biotoxicity of nanogold in vivo are still not well understood.