Tailoring Multifunctional Small Molecular Photosensitizers to In Vivo Self-Assemble with Albumin to Boost Tumor-Preferential Accumulation, NIR Imaging, and Photodynamic/Photothermal/Immunotherapy

Advancements in tantalum based nanoparticles for integrated imaging and photothermal therapy in cancer management

Tantalum-based nanoparticles (TaNPs) have emerged as promising tools in cancer management, owing to their unique properties that facilitate innovative imaging and photothermal therapy applications. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in TaNPs, emphasizing their potential in oncology. Key features include excellent biocompatibility, efficient photothermal conversion, and the ability to integrate multifunctional capabilities, such as targeted drug delivery and enhanced imaging. Despite these advantages, challenges remain in establishing long-term biocompatibility, optimizing therapeutic efficacy through surface modifications, and advancing imaging techniques for real-time monitoring. Strategic approaches to address these challenges include surface modifications like PEGylation to improve biocompatibility, precise control over size and shape for effective photothermal therapy, and the development of biodegradable TaNPs for safe elimination from the body. Furthermore, integrating advanced imaging modalities-such as photoacoustic imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT)-enable real-time tracking of TaNPs in vivo, which is crucial for clinical applications. Personalized medicine strategies that leverage biomarkers and genetic profiling also hold promise for tailoring TaNP-based therapies to individual patient profiles, thereby enhancing treatment efficacy and minimizing side effects. In conclusion, TaNPs represent a significant advancement in nanomedicine, poised to transform cancer treatment paradigms while expanding into various biomedical applications.

Cyanine dyes in the mitochondria-targeting photodynamic and photothermal therapy

Mitochondrial dysregulation plays a significant role in the carcinogenesis. On the other hand, its destabilization strongly represses the viability and metastatic potential of cancer cells. Photodynamic and photothermal therapies (PDT and PTT) target mitochondria effectively, providing innovative and non-invasive anticancer therapeutic modalities. Cyanine dyes, with strong mitochondrial selectivity, show significant potential in enhancing PDT and PTT. The potential and limitations of cyanine dyes for mitochondrial PDT and PTT are discussed, along with their applications in combination therapies, theranostic techniques, and optimal delivery systems. Additionally, novel approaches for sonodynamic therapy using photoactive cyanine dyes are presented, highlighting advances in cancer treatment.

Immunological nanomaterials to combat cancer metastasis

Metastasis causes greater than 90% of cancer-associated deaths, presenting huge challenges for detection and efficient treatment of cancer due to its high heterogeneity and widespread dissemination to various organs. Therefore, it is imperative to combat cancer metastasis, which is the key to achieving complete cancer eradication. Immunotherapy as a systemic approach has shown promising potential to combat metastasis. However, current clinical immunotherapies are not effective for all patients or all types of cancer metastases owing to insufficient immune responses. In recent years, immunological nanomaterials with intrinsic immunogenicity or immunomodulatory agents with efficient loading have been shown to enhance immune responses to eliminate metastasis. In this review, we would like to summarize various types of immunological nanomaterials against metastasis. Moreover, this review will summarize a series of immunological nanomaterial-mediated immunotherapy strategies to combat metastasis, including immunogenic cell death, regulation of chemokines and cytokines, improving the immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment, activation of the STING pathway, enhancing cytotoxic natural killer cell activity, enhancing antigen presentation of dendritic cells, and enhancing chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy. Furthermore, the synergistic anti-metastasis strategies based on the combinational use of immunotherapy and other therapeutic modalities will also be introduced. In addition, the nanomaterial-mediated imaging techniques (e.g., optical imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, photoacoustic imaging, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, radionuclide imaging, etc.) for detecting metastasis and monitoring anti-metastasis efficacy are also summarized. Finally, the current challenges and future prospects of immunological nanomaterial-based anti-metastasis are also elucidated with the intention to accelerate its clinical translation.

Biomimetic NIR-II fluorescent proteins created from chemogenic protein-seeking dyes for multicolor deep-tissue bioimaging

Near-infrared-I/II fluorescent proteins (NIR-I/II FPs) are crucial for in vivo imaging, yet the current NIR-I/II FPs face challenges including scarcity, the requirement for chromophore maturation, and limited emission wavelengths (typically < 800 nm). Here, we utilize synthetic protein-seeking NIR-II dyes as chromophores, which covalently bind to tag proteins (e.g., human serum albumin, HSA) through a site-specific nucleophilic substitution reaction, thereby creating proof-of-concept biomimetic NIR-II FPs. This chemogenic protein-seeking strategy can be accomplished under gentle physiological conditions without catalysis. Proteomics analysis identifies specific binding site (Cys 477 on DIII). NIR-II FPs significantly enhance chromophore brightness and photostability, while improving biocompatibility, allowing for high-performance NIR-II lymphography and angiography. This strategy is universal and applicable in creating a wide range of spectrally separated NIR-I/II FPs for real-time visualization of multiple biological events. Overall, this straightforward biomimetic approach holds the potential to transform fluorescent protein-based bioimaging and enables in-situ albumin targeting to create NIR-I/II FPs for deep-tissue imaging in live organisms.

NIR-dye bridged human serum albumin reassemblies for effective photothermal therapy of tumor

Human serum albumin (HSA) based drug delivery platforms that feature desirable biocompatibility and pharmacokinetic property are rapidly developed for tumor-targeted drug delivery. Even though various HSA-based platforms have been established, it is still of great significance to develop more efficient preparation technology to broaden the therapeutic applications of HSA-based nano-carriers. Here we report a bridging strategy that unfastens HSA to polypeptide chains and subsequently crosslinks these chains by a bridge-like molecule (BPY-Mal2) to afford the HSA reassemblies formulation (BPY@HSA) with enhanced loading capacity, endowing the BPY@HSA with uniformed size, high photothermal efficacy, and favorable therapeutic features. Both in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate that the BPY@HSA presents higher delivery efficacy and more prominent photothermal therapeutic performance than that of the conventionally prepared formulation. The feasibility in preparation, stability, high photothermal conversion efficacy, and biocompatibility of BPY@HSA may facilitate it as an efficient photothermal agents (PTAs) for tumor photothermal therapy (PTT). This work provides a facile strategy to enhance the loading capacity of HSA-based crosslinking platforms in order to improve delivery efficacy and therapeutic effect.

A Mitochondria-Targeted Ferroptosis Inducer Activated by Glutathione-Responsive Imaging and Depletion for Triple Negative Breast Cancer Theranostics

Ferroptosis is a new type of iron-dependent programmed cell death characterized by glutathione (GSH) depletion, selenoprotein glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) inactivation, and lipid peroxides accumulation. Mitochondria, as the main source of intracellular energy supply and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, play a central role in oxidative phosphorylation and redox homeostasis. Therefore, targeting cancer-cell mitochondria and attacking redox homeostasis is expected to induce robust ferroptosis-mediated anticancer effects. In this work, a theranostic ferroptosis inducer (IR780-SPhF), which can simultaneously achieve the imaging and therapy of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) by targeting mitochondria is presented. It is developed from a mitochondria-targeting small molecule (IR780) with cancer-preferential accumulation, enabling it to react with GSH by nucleophilic substitution, resulting in mitochondrial GSH depletion and redox imbalance. More interestingly, IR780-SPhF exhibits GSH-responsive near-infrared fluorescence emission and photoacoustic imaging characteristics, further facilitating diagnosis and treatment with real-time monitoring of TNBC with a highly elevated GSH level. Both in vitro and in vivo results demonstrate that IR780-SPhF exhibits potent anticancer effect, which is significantly stronger than cyclophosphamide, a classic drug commonly recommended for TNBC patients in clinic. Hence, the reported mitochondria-targeted ferroptosis inducer may represent a promising candidate and a prospective strategy for efficient cancer treatment.

In situ stimulus-responsive self-assembled nanomaterials for drug delivery and disease treatment

The individual motifs that respond to specific stimuli for the self-assembly of nanomaterials play important roles. In situ constructed nanomaterials are formed spontaneously without human intervention and have promising applications in bioscience. However, due to the complex physiological environment of the human body, designing stimulus-responsive self-assembled nanomaterials in vivo is a challenging problem for researchers. In this article, we discuss the self-assembly principles of various nanomaterials in response to the tissue microenvironment, cell membrane, and intracellular stimuli. We propose the applications and advantages of in situ self-assembly in drug delivery and disease diagnosis and treatment, with a focus on in situ self-assembly at the lesion site, especially in cancer. Additionally, we introduce the significance of introducing exogenous stimulation to construct self-assembly in vivo. Based on this foundation, we put forward the prospects and possible challenges in the field of in situ self-assembly. This review uncovers the relationship between the structure and properties of in situ self-assembled nanomaterials and provides new ideas for innovative drug molecular design and development to solve the problems in the targeted delivery and precision medicine.

Esterase-Activated, pH-Responsive, and Genetically Targetable Nano-Prodrug for Cancer Cell Photo-Ablation

Activatable prodrugs have drawn considerable attention for cancer cell ablation owing to their high specificity in drug delivery systems. However, phototheranostic prodrugs with dual organelle-targeting and synergistic effects are still rare due to low intelligence of their structures. Besides, the cell membrane, exocytosis, and diffusional hindrance by the extracellular matrix reduce drug uptake. Moreover, the up-regulation of heat shock protein and short singlet-oxygen lifetime in cancer cells hamper photo-ablation efficacy, especially in the mono-therapeutic model. To overcome those obstacles, we prepare an esterase-activated DM nano-prodrug, which is conjugated by diiodine-substituted fluorogenic malachite green derivative (MG-2I) and phototherapeutic agent DPP-OH via hydrolyzable ester linkage, having pH-responsiveness and genetically targetable activity for dual organelles-targeting to optimize photo-ablation efficacy. The DM nanoparticles (NPs) present improved pH-responsive photothermal/photodynamic property by the protonation of diethylaminophenyl units in acidic environment. More importantly, the MG-2I and DPP-OH moieties can be released from DM nano-prodrug through overexpressed esterase; then specifically target lysosomes and mitochondria in CT-26 Mito-FAP cells. Hence, near-infrared DM NPs can trigger parallel damage in dual-organelles with strong fluorescence and effective phototoxicity, thus inducing serious mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptotic death, showing excellent photo-ablation effect based on esterase-activated, pH-responsive, and genetically targetable activities.

Cascade Immune Activation of Self-Delivery Biomedicine for Photodynamic Immunotherapy Against Metastatic Tumor

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) can generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) to cause cell apoptosis and induce immunogenic cell death (ICD) to activate immune response, becoming a promising antitumor modality. However, the overexpressions of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) on tumor cells would reduce cytotoxic T cells infiltration and inhibit the immune activation. In this paper, a simple but effective nanosystem is developed to solve these issues for enhanced photodynamic immunotherapy. Specifically, it has been constructed a self-delivery biomedicine (CeNB) based on photosensitizer chlorine e6 (Ce6), IDO inhibitor (NLG919), and PD1/PDL1 blocker (BMS-1) without the need for extra excipients. Of note, CeNB possesses fairly high drug content (nearly 100%), favorable stability, and uniform morphology. More importantly, CeNB-mediated IDO inhibition and PD1/PDL1 blockade greatly improve the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments to promote immune activation. The PDT of CeNB not only inhibits tumor proliferation but also induces ICD response to activate immunological cascade. Ultimately, self-delivery CeNB tremendously suppresses the tumor growth and metastasis while leads to a minimized side effect. Such simple and effective antitumor strategy overcomes the therapeutic resistance against PDT-initiated immunotherapy, suggesting a potential for metastatic tumor treatment in clinic.

Mesoporous Nanoparticles for Diagnosis and Treatment of Liver Cancer in the Era of Precise Medicine

Primary liver cancer is the seventh-most-common cancer worldwide and the fourth-leading cause of cancer mortality. In the current era of precision medicine, the diagnosis and management of liver cancer are full of challenges and prospects. Mesoporous nanoparticles are often designed as specific carriers of drugs and imaging agents because of their special morphology and physical and chemical properties. In recent years, the design of the elemental composition and morphology of mesoporous nanoparticles have greatly improved their drug-loading efficiency, biocompatibility and biodegradability. Especially in the field of primary liver cancer, mesoporous nanoparticles have been modified as highly tumor-specific imaging contrast agents and targeting therapeutic medicine. Various generations of complexes and structures have been determined for the complicated clinical management requirements. In this review, we summarize these advanced mesoporous designs in the different diagnostic and therapeutic fields of liver cancer and discuss the relevant advantages and disadvantages of transforming applications. By comparing the material properties, drug-delivery characteristics and application methods of different kinds of mesoporous materials in liver cancer, we try to help determine the most suitable drug carriers and information media for future clinical trials. We hope to improve the fabrication of biomedical mesoporous nanoparticles and provide direct evidence for specific cancer management.