Innovative Synthesis of Au@WO₃ Core–Shell Nanoparticles via Laser Ablation: Insights into Their Pharmaceutical Properties for Biomedical Applications

Laser ablation in liquid (LAL) in recent years has emerged as a promising approach for the synthesis of industrial and functional nanomaterials. In this study, LAL was used to synthesize Au@WO₃ core–shell nanoparticles under various preparation conditions without the use of a catalyst. The optical characteristics of the resulting colloid confirmed the formation of a core–shell system, evident from the distinct absorption peaks observed in both the UV and visible regions. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to confirm the presence of Au and WO₃. This study aimed to achieve an eco-friendly synthesis of Au@WO3 core–shell nanoparticles and investigate their potential biomedical applications, including anticancer and antibacterial activity against human pathogens. Various assays were employed to assess their effectiveness, including well diffusion assay, MTT assay, LDH assay, ROS generation, and apoptosis assay. The results demonstrated that the Au@WO3 core–shell nanoparticles exhibit significant anti-proliferative activity against ovarian cancer cells (SKOV-3) via induce apoptotic cell death through ROS generation, and mitochondrial damage. Additionally, these nanoparticles showed inhibition of multidrug-resistant human pathogen bacteria, such as S. aureus and E. coli through inhibiting biofilm formation. Based on these findings, Au@WO₃ core–shell nanoparticles show considerable promise as therapeutic agents for biomedical applications.