Cell Permeable Au@ZnMoS4 Core-Shell Nanoparticles: Towards a Novel Cellular Copper Detoxifying Drug for Wilson's Disease

A layer-by-layer self-assembly method leads to the formation of Au@ZnMoS4 core-shell nanoparticles (NPs). The PEGylated Au@ZnMoS4 NPs are highly water-dispersible, exhibit no cytotoxicity and can penetrate the cell membrane to selectively remove copper(I) ions from HepG2 cells in the presence of other endogenous and biologically essential metal ions including Mg(II), Ca(II), Mn(II) and Fe(II), demonstrating their potential as a novel intracellular copper detoxifying agent.