Light-triggered theranostics based on photosensitizer-conjugated carbon dots for simultaneous enhanced-fluorescence imaging and photodynamic therapy

PEG-functionalized iron oxide nanoclusters loaded with chlorin e6 for targeted, NIR light induced, photodynamic therapy

Magnetic targeting that utilizes a magnetic field to specifically delivery theranostic agents to targeted tumor regions can greatly improve the cancer treatment efficiency. Herein, we load chlorin e6 (Ce6), a widely used PS molecule in PDT, on polyethylene glycol (PEG) functionalized iron oxide nanoclusters (IONCs), obtaining IONC-PEG-Ce6 as a theranostic agent for dual-mode imaging guided and magnetic-targeting enhanced in vivo PDT. Interestingly, after being loaded on PEGylated IONCs, the absorbance/excitation peak of Ce6 shows an obvious red-shift from ~650 nm to ~700 nm, which locates in the NIR region with improved tissue penetration. Without noticeable dark toxicity, Ce6 loaded IONC-PEG (IONC-PEG-Ce6) exhibits significantly accelerated cellular uptake compared with free Ce6, and thus offers greatly improved in vitro photodynamic cancer cell killing efficiency under a low-power light exposure. After demonstrating the magnetic field (MF) enhanced PDT using IONC-PEG-Ce6, we then further test this concept in animal experiments. Owing to the strong magnetism of IONCs and the long blood-circulation time offered by the condensed PEG coating, IONC-PEG-Ce6 shows strong MF-induced tumor homing ability, as evidenced by in vivo dual modal optical and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. In vivo PDT experiment based magnetic tumor targeting using IONC-PEG-Ce6 is finally carried out, achieving high therapeutic efficacy with dramatically delayed tumor growth after just a single injection and the MF-enhanced photodynamic treatment. Considering the biodegradability and non-toxicity of iron oxide, our IONC-PEG-Ce6 presented in this work may be a useful multifunctional agent promising in photodynamic cancer treatment under magnetic targeting.

Surface passivation of carbon nanoparticles with branched macromolecules influences near infrared bioimaging

A superior and commercially exploitable 'green synthesis' of optically active carbon nanoparticle (OCN) is revealed in this work. The naked carbon particles (<20 nm) were derived from commercial food grade honey. The fluorescence properties of these particles were significantly enhanced by utilizing hyberbranched polymer for surface passivation. A dramatic increase in near infrared emission was achieved compared to a linear polymer (PEG) coated carbon nanoparticles. Interestingly, as passivating agent becomes more extensively branched (pseudo generation 2 to 4), the average radiant efficiency amplifies considerably as a direct result of the increasing surface area available for light passivation. The particles showed negligible loss of cell viability in presence of endothelial cells in vitro. Preliminary in vivo experiment showed high contrast enhancement in auxiliary lymphnode in a mouse model. The exceptionally rapid lymphatic transport of these particles suggests that such an approach may offer greater convenience and reduced procedural expense, as well as improved surgical advantage as the patient is positioned on the table for easier resection.

VEGF-loaded graphene oxide as theranostics for multi-modality imaging-monitored targeting therapeutic angiogenesis of ischemic muscle

Herein we report the design and synthesis of multifunctional VEGF-loaded IR800-conjugated graphene oxide (GO-IR800-VEGF) for multi-modality imaging-monitored therapeutic angiogenesis of ischemic muscle. The as-prepared GO-IR800-VEGF positively targets VEGF receptors, maintains an elevated level of VEGF in ischemic tissues for a prolonged time, and finally leads to remarkable therapeutic angiogenesis of ischemic muscle. Although more efforts are required to further understand the in vivo behaviors and the long-term toxicology of GO, our work demonstrates the success of using GO for efficient VEGF delivery in vivo by intravenous administration and suggests the great promise of using graphene oxide in theranostic applications for treating ischemic disease.

Simultaneous enhanced diagnosis and photodynamic therapy of photosensitizer-doped perylene nanoparticles via doping, fluorescence resonance energy transfer, and antenna effect

We demonstrate a new strategy for preparing photosensitizer-doped perylene nanoparticles via doping, fluorescence resonance energy transfer, and antenna effect for simultaneous enhanced diagnosis and photodynamic therapy.

Effect of injection routes on the biodistribution, clearance, and tumor uptake of carbon dots

The emergence of photoluminescent carbon-based nanomaterials has shown exciting potential in the development of benign nanoprobes. However, the in vivo kinetic behaviors of these particles that are necessary for clinical translation are poorly understood to date. In this study, fluorescent carbon dots (C-dots) were synthesized and the effect of three injection routes on their fate in vivo was explored by using both near-infrared fluorescence and positron emission tomography imaging techniques. We found that C-dots are efficiently and rapidly excreted from the body after all three injection routes. The clearance rate of C-dots is ranked as intravenous > intramuscular > subcutaneous. The particles had relatively low retention in the reticuloendothelial system and showed high tumor-to-background contrast. Furthermore, different injection routes also resulted in different blood clearance patterns and tumor uptakes of C-dots. These results satisfy the need for clinical translation and should promote efforts to further investigate the possibility of using carbon-based nanoprobes in a clinical setting. More broadly, we provide a testing blueprint for in vivo behavior of nanoplatforms under various injection routes, an important step forward toward safety and efficacy analysis of nanoparticles.

Photosensitizer-loaded gold vesicles with strong plasmonic coupling effect for imaging-guided photothermal/photodynamic therapy

A multifunctional theranostic platform based on photosensitizer-loaded plasmonic vesicular assemblies of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) is developed for effective cancer imaging and treatment. The gold vesicles (GVs) composed of a monolayer of assembled GNPs show strong absorbance in the near-infrared (NIR) range of 650-800 nm, as a result of the plasmonic coupling effect between neighboring GNPs in the vesicular membranes. The strong NIR absorption and the capability of encapsulating photosensitizer Ce6 in GVs enable trimodality NIR fluorescence/thermal/photoacoustic imaging-guided synergistic photothermal/photodynamic therapy (PTT/PDT) with improved efficacy. The Ce6-loaded GVs (GV-Ce6) have the following characteristics: (i) high Ce6 loading efficiency (up to ~18.4 wt %; (ii) enhanced cellular uptake efficiency of Ce6; (iii) simultaneous trimodality NIR fluorescence/thermal/photoacoustic imaging; (iv) synergistic PTT/PDT treatment with improved efficacy using single wavelength continuous wave laser irradiation.

Single continuous wave laser induced photodynamic/plasmonic photothermal therapy using photosensitizer-functionalized gold nanostars

Chlorin e6 conjugated gold nanostars (GNS-PEG-Ce6) are used to perform simultaneous photodynamic/plasmonic photothermal therapy (PDT/PPTT) upon single laser irradiation. The early-phase PDT effect is coordinated with the late-phase PPTT effect to obtain synergistic anticancer efficiency. The prepared GNS-PEG-Ce6 shows excellent water dispersibility, good biocompatibility, enhanced cellular uptake and remarkable anticancer efficiency upon irradiation in vivo.

Dual-factor triggered fluorogenic nanoprobe for ultrahigh contrast and subdiffraction fluorescence imaging

Ultrahigh contrast fluorescence molecular imaging has long been pursued over the past few decades from basic sciences to clinics. Although new classes of near-infrared (NIR) molecular probes are emerging, the requirement of fluorophores with high quantum yield, high signal to noise (S/N) ratio, and being activatable to microenvironment changes can hardly be fulfilled. In this study, a new NIR dye embedded fluorogenic nanoprobe (fg-nanoprobe) was developed for ultrahigh contrast in vitro and in vivo imaging with negligible background interference. The achieved S/N ratio was found to be attributed to the synergistic effects of the cellular compartmental triggered fluorogenicity and pH tunable fluorescence on/off character. In addition, this constructed fluorogenic nanoprobe could be coupled with image processing method for super-resolution subdiffraction imaging. The developed fg-nanoprobe integrated photophysical merits of the synthesized NIR fluorophore and advantages of engineered nanoparticle for enhanced fluorescence molecular imaging. This probe may open another avenue for ultrahigh contrast fluorescence molecular imaging in the future.

Biomimetic one-pot synthesis of gold nanoclusters/nanoparticles for targeted tumor cellular dual-modality imaging

Biomimetic synthesis has become a promising green pathway to prepare nanomaterials. In this study, bovine serum albumin (BSA)-conjugated gold nanoclusters/nanoparticles were successfully synthesized in water at room temperature by a protein-directed, solution-phase, green synthetic method. The synthesized BSA-Au nanocomplexes have fluorescence emission (588 nm) of gold nanoclusters and surface plasmon resonance of gold nanoparticles. The BSA-Au nanocomplexes display non-cytotoxicity and excellent biocompatibility on MGC803 gastric cancer cells. After conjugation of folic acid molecules, the obtained BSA-Au nanocomplexes showed highly selective targeting for MGC803 cells and dual-modality dark-field and fluorescence imaging.

Photosensitizer-conjugated silica-coated gold nanoclusters for fluorescence imaging-guided photodynamic therapy

Multifunctional theranostics have recently been intensively explored to optimize the efficacy and safety of therapeutic regimens. In this work, a photo-theranostic agent based on chlorin e6 (Ce6) photosensitizer-conjugated silica-coated gold nanoclusters (AuNCs@SiO2-Ce6) is strategically designed and prepared for fluorescence imaging-guided photodynamic therapy (PDT). The AuNCs@SiO2-Ce6 shows the following features: i) high Ce6 photosensitizer loading; ii) no non-specific release of Ce6 during its circulation; iii) significantly enhanced cellular uptake efficiency of Ce6, offering a remarkably improved photodynamic therapeutic efficacy compared to free Ce6; iv) subcellular characterization of the nanoformula via both the fluorescence of Ce6 and plasmon luminescence of AuNCs; v) fluorescence imaging-guided photodynamic therapy (PDT). This photo-theranostics owns good stability, high water dispersibility and solubility, non-cytotoxicity, and good biocompatibility, thus facilitating its biomedical applications, particularly for multi-modal optical, CT and photoacoustic (PA) imaging-guided PDT or sonodynamic therapy.

A Green Synthesis of Carbon Nanoparticle from Honey for Real-Time Photoacoustic Imaging

Imaging sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) could provide us with critical information about the progression of a cancerous disease. Real-time high-resolution intraoperative photoacoustic imaging (PAI) in conjunction with a near infrared (NIR) probe may offer the opportunities for the immediate imaging for direct identification and resection of SLN or collecting tissue samples. In this work a commercially amenable synthetic methodology is revealed for developing luminescent carbon nanoparticles with rapid clearance properties. A one-pot "green" technique is pursued, which involved rapid surface passivation of carbon nanoparticles with organic macromolecules (e.g. polysorbate, polyethyleneglycol) in a solvent free condition. Interestingly, the naked carbon nanoparticles are derived for the first time, from commercial food grade honey. Surface coated particles are markedly smaller (~7 nm) than the previously explored particles (gold, SWNT, copper) for SLN imaging. Results indicate an exceptionally rapid signal enhancement (~2 min) of the SLN. Owing to their strong optical absorption in the near infrared region, tiny size and rapid lymphatic transport, this platform offers great potential for faster resection of SLN and may lower complications caused by axillary investigation for mismarking with dyes or low-resolution imaging techniques.