PEGylated hydrazided gold nanorods for pH-triggered chemo/photodynamic/photothermal triple therapy of breast cancer

Zinc Oxide/Carbon Material-Embedded Supramolecular Drug Delivery System with Photoswitching Properties for Highly Selective and Effective Chemotherapy

Phototherapy has become a hopeful procedure for the treatment of cancer. Nevertheless, the straightforward creation of a theranostic system that can achieve both tumor localization and production of oxygen species is greatly desired yet remains a challenging endeavor. In this study, we synthesized spherical nanostructures by decorating zinc oxide (ZnO) with peanut shell-based carbon (PNS-C) in an aqueous solution. The PNS-C-decorated ZnO (ZnO/PNS-C)-embedded supramolecular system exhibited spontaneous self-assembly. The nanogels that are produced have several desirable characteristics, including exceptional resistance to degradation by light, highly stable nanostructures that form spontaneously in biological environments, outstanding ability to prevent the destruction of red blood cells, and a high level of sensitivity to changes in pH and light. Under light irradiation, the addition of ZnO/PNS-C-incorporated supramolecular provided high reactive oxygen species production. Moreover, in vitro cellular assays demonstrated ZnO/PNS-C-incorporated supramolecular exhibited highly selective and induced phototoxicity into cancer cells and no effect on the viability of normal cells both before and after irradiation. Overall, the ZnO/PNS-C-incorporated supramolecular system has the potential to stimulate advancements in phototherapy by utilizing highly tumor-selective therapeutic molecules. This can lead to a more effective targeted therapy for cancers.

Diagnosis and treatment status of inoperable locally advanced breast cancer and the application value of inorganic nanomaterials

Locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) is a heterogeneous group of breast cancer that accounts for 10-30% of breast cancer cases. Despite the ongoing development of current treatment methods, LABC remains a severe and complex public health concern around the world, thus prompting the urgent requirement for innovative diagnosis and treatment strategies. The primary treatment challenges are inoperable clinical status and ineffective local control methods. With the rapid advancement of nanotechnology, inorganic nanoparticles (INPs) exhibit a potential application prospect in diagnosing and treating breast cancer. Due to the unique inherent characteristics of INPs, different functions can be performed via appropriate modifications and constructions, thus making them suitable for different imaging technology strategies and treatment schemes. INPs can improve the efficacy of conventional local radiotherapy treatment. In the face of inoperable LABC, INPs have proposed new local therapeutic methods and fostered the evolution of novel strategies such as photothermal and photodynamic therapy, magnetothermal therapy, sonodynamic therapy, and multifunctional inorganic nanoplatform. This article reviews the advances of INPs in local accurate imaging and breast cancer treatment and offers insights to overcome the existing clinical difficulties in LABC management.

Nanoarchitecture-based photothermal ablation of cancer: A systematic review

Photothermal therapy (PTT) is an emerging non-invasive method used in cancer treatment. In PTT, near-infrared laser light is absorbed by a chromophore and converted into heat within the tumor tissue. PTT for cancer usually combines a variety of interactive plasmonic nanomaterials with laser irradiation. PTT enjoys PT agents with high conversion efficiency to convert light into heat to destroy malignant tissue. In this review, published studies concerned with the use of nanoparticles (NPs) in PTT were collected by a systematic and comprehensive search of PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, and Scopus databases. Gold, silver and iron NPs were the most frequent choice in PTT. The use of surface modified NPs allowed selective delivery and led to a precise controlled increase in the local temperature. The presence of NPs during PTT can increase the reactive generation of oxygen species, damage the DNA and mitochondria, leading to cancer cell death mainly via apoptosis. Many studies recently used core-shell metal NPs, and the effects of the polymer coating or ligands targeted to specific cellular receptors in order to increase PTT efficiency were often reported. The effective parameters (NP type, size, concentration, coated polymers or attached ligands, exposure conditions, cell line or type, and cell death mechanisms) were investigated individually. With the advances in chemical synthesis technology, NPs with different shapes, sizes, and coatings can be prepared with desirable properties, to achieve multimodal cancer treatment with precision and specificity.

Recent Advances of Tumor Microenvironment-Responsive Nanomedicines-Energized Combined Phototherapy of Cancers

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as a powerful tumor treatment tool due to its advantages including minimal invasiveness, high selectivity and thus dampened side effects. On the other side, the efficacy of PDT is severely frustrated by the limited oxygen level in tumors, thus promoting its combination with other therapies, particularly photothermal therapy (PTT) for bolstered tumor treatment outcomes. Meanwhile, nanomedicines that could respond to various stimuli in the tumor microenvironment (TME) provide tremendous benefits for combined phototherapy with efficient hypoxia relief, tailorable drug release and activation, improved cellular uptake and intratumoral penetration of nanocarriers, etc. In this review, we will introduce the merits of combining PTT with PDT, summarize the recent important progress of combined phototherapies and their combinations with the dominant tumor treatment regimen, chemotherapy based on smart nanomedicines sensitive to various TME stimuli with a focus on their sophisticated designs, and discuss the challenges and future developments of nanomedicine-mediated combined phototherapies.

Recent Studies and Progress in the Intratumoral Administration of Nano-Sized Drug Delivery Systems

Over the last 30 years, diverse types of nano-sized drug delivery systems (nanoDDSs) have been intensively explored for cancer therapy, exploiting their passive tumor targetability with an enhanced permeability and retention effect. However, their systemic administration has aroused some unavoidable complications, including insufficient tumor-targeting efficiency, side effects due to their undesirable biodistribution, and carrier-associated toxicity. In this review, the recent studies and advancements in intratumoral nanoDDS administration are generally summarized. After identifying the factors to be considered to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of intratumoral nanoDDS administration, the experimental results on the application of intratumoral nanoDDS administration to various types of cancer therapies are discussed. Subsequently, the reports on clinical studies of intratumoral nanoDDS administration are addressed in short. Intratumoral nanoDDS administration is proven with its versatility to enhance the tumor-specific accumulation and retention of therapeutic agents for various therapeutic modalities. Specifically, it can improve the efficacy of therapeutic agents with poor bioavailability by increasing their intratumoral concentration, while minimizing the side effect of highly toxic agents by restricting their delivery to normal tissues. Intratumoral administration of nanoDDS is considered to expand its application area due to its potent ability to improve therapeutic effects and relieve the systemic toxicities of nanoDDSs.

Gold nanostructure-mediated delivery of anticancer agents: Biomedical applications, reversing drug resistance, and stimuli-responsive nanocarriers

The application of nanoarchitectures in cancer therapy seems to be beneficial for the delivery of antitumor drugs. In recent years, attempts have been made to reverse drug resistance, one of the factors threatening the lives of cancer patients worldwide. Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are metal nanostructures with a variety of advantageous properties, such as tunable size and shape, continuous release of chemicals, and simple surface modification. This review focuses on the application of GNPs for the delivery of chemotherapy agents in cancer therapy. Utilizing GNPs results in targeted delivery and increased intracellular accumulation. Besides, GNPs can provide a platform for the co-delivery of anticancer agents and genetic tools with chemotherapeutic compounds to exert a synergistic impact. Furthermore, GNPs can promote oxidative damage and apoptosis by triggering chemosensitivity. Due to their capacity for providing photothermal therapy, GNPs can enhance the cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutic agents against tumor cells. The pH-, redox-, and light-responsive GNPs are beneficial for drug release at the tumor site. For the selective targeting of cancer cells, surface modification of GNPs with ligands has been performed. In addition to improving cytotoxicity, GNPs can prevent the development of drug resistance in tumor cells by facilitating prolonged release and loading low concentrations of chemotherapeutics while maintaining their high antitumor activity. As described in this study, the clinical use of chemotherapeutic drug-loaded GNPs is contingent on enhancing their biocompatibility.

Nanoparticles-based phototherapy systems for cancer treatment: Current status and clinical potential

Remarkable progress in phototherapy has been made in recent decades, due to its non-invasiveness and instant therapeutic efficacy. In addition, with the rapid development of nanoscience and nanotechnology, phototherapy systems based on nanoparticles or nanocomposites also evolved as an emerging hotspot in nanomedicine research, especially in cancer. In this review, first we briefly introduce the history of phototherapy, and the mechanisms of phototherapy in cancer treatment. Then, we summarize the representative development over the past three to five years in nanoparticle-based phototherapy and highlight the design of the innovative nanoparticles thereof. Finally, we discuss the feasibility and the potential of the nanoparticle-based phototherapy systems in clinical anticancer therapeutic applications, aiming to predict future research directions in this field. Our review is a tutorial work, aiming at providing useful insights to researchers in the field of nanotechnology, nanoscience and cancer.

Multifunctional targeted solid lipid nanoparticles for combined photothermal therapy and chemotherapy of breast cancer

Photothermal therapy has emerged as a new promising strategy for the management of cancer, either alone or combined with other therapeutics, such as chemotherapy. The use of nanoparticles for multimodal therapy can improve treatment performance and reduce drug doses and associated side effects. Here we propose the development of a novel multifunctional nanosystem based on solid lipid nanoparticles co-loaded with gold nanorods and mitoxantrone and functionalized with folic acid for dual photothermal therapy and chemotherapy of breast cancer. Nanoparticles were produced using an economically affordable method and presented suitable physicochemical properties for tumor passive accumulation. Upon Near-Infrared irradiation (808 nm, 1.7 W cm^-2, 5 min), nanoparticles could effectively mediate a temperature increase of >20 °C. Moreover, exposure to light resulted in an enhanced release of Mitoxantrone. Furthermore, nanoparticles were non-hemolytic and well tolerated by healthy cells even at high concentrations. The active targeting strategy was found to be successful, as shown by the greater accumulation of the functionalized nanoparticles in MCF-7 cells. Finally, the combined effects of chemotherapy, light-induced drug release and photothermal therapy significantly enhanced breast cancer cell death. Overall, these results demonstrate that the developed lipid nanosystem is an efficient vehicle for breast cancer multimodal therapy.

Development of Nanocarrier-Based Radionuclide and Photothermal Therapy in Combination with Chemotherapy in Melanoma Cancer Treatment

Conventional cancer therapy methods have serious drawbacks that are related to the nonspecific action of anticancer drugs that leads to high toxicity on normal cells and increases the risk of cancer recurrence. The therapeutic effect can be significantly enhanced when various treatment modalities are implemented. Here, we demonstrate that the radio- and photothermal therapy (PTT) delivered through nanocarriers (gold nanorods, Au NRs) in combination with chemotherapy in a melanoma cancer results in complete tumor inhibition compared to the single therapy. The synthesized nanocarriers can be effectively labeled with 188Re therapeutic radionuclide with a high radiolabeling efficiency (94-98%) and radiochemical stability (>95%) that are appropriate for radionuclide therapy. Further, 188Re-Au NRs, mediating the conversion of laser radiation into heat, were intratumorally injected and PTT was applied. Upon the irradiation of a near-infrared laser, dual photothermal and radionuclide therapy was achieved. Additionally, the combination of 188Re-labeled Au NRs with paclitaxel (PTX) has significantly improved the treatment efficiency (188Re-labeled Au NRs, laser irradiation, and PTX) compared to therapy in monoregime. Thus, this local triple-combination therapy can be a step toward the clinical translation of Au NRs for use in cancer treatment.

Simple preparation of POxylated nanomaterials for cancer chemo-PDT/PTT

Near infrared (NIR) light-responsive nanomaterials hold potential to mediate combinatorial therapies targeting several cancer hallmarks. When irradiated, these nanomaterials produce reactive oxygen species (photodynamic therapy) and/or a temperature increase (photothermal therapy). These events can damage cancer cells and trigger the release of drugs from the nanomaterials' core. However, engineering nanomaterials for cancer chemo-photodynamic/photothermal therapy is a complex process. First, nanomaterials with photothermal capacity are synthesized, being then loaded with photosensitizers plus chemotherapeutics, and, finally functionalized with polymers for achieving suitable biological properties. To overcome this limitation, in this work, a novel straightforward approach to attain NIR light-responsive nanosystems for cancer chemo-photodynamic/photothermal therapy was established. Such was accomplished by synthesizing poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)-IR780 amphiphilic conjugates, which can be assembled into nanoparticles with photodynamic/photothermal capabilities that simultaneously encapsulate Doxorubicin (DOX/PEtOx-IR NPs). The DOX/PEtOx-IR NPs presented a suitable size and surface charge for cancer-related applications. When irradiated with NIR light, the DOX/PEtOx-IR NPs produced singlet oxygen as well as a smaller thermic effect that boosted the release of DOX by 1.7-times. In the in vitro studies, the combination of DOX/PEtOx-IR NPs and NIR light could completely ablate breast cancer cells (viability ≈ 4 %), demonstrating the enhanced outcome arising from the nanomaterials' chemo-photodynamic/photothermal therapy.

GLUT-Targeting Phototherapeutic Nanoparticles for Synergistic Triple Combination Cancer Therapy

The combination of multimodal therapies into one nanocarrier system is promising for its potential to enhance treatment performance by overcoming the efficacy problems encountered in conventional monomodal therapy. In this study, targeted and multimodal therapeutic hybrid nanocarriers are fabricated for breast cancer treatments. In this context, the synthesized gold nanorods (AuNRd), photothermal therapy (PTT) agent, are coated with doxorubicin (DOX) conjugated, targeted, and biocompatible tetrablock glycopeptide (P(DMAEMA-b-HMBAMA-b-FrucMA)-b-P(Lys)/DOX, P-DOX) polymer. Here, fructose-based (Fruc) glycopeptide polymer enhances cellular uptake into breast cancer through GLUT5. A photosensitizer molecule, indocyanine green (ICG), was loaded into the particles to provide photodynamic therapy (PDT) upon NIR light at 808 nm. In the final step of the fabrication, the polymer-coated nanoparticles are integrated with antisense ISIS5132 oligonucleotides to prevent apoptotic resistance of cells against drug molecules. The biocompatibility and therapeutic efficacy of the nanoparticles are evaluated on both human normal skin fibroblast cell (CCD-1079Sk) and human breast cancer cell (MCF7) lines. These multimodal therapeutic AuNRd@P-DOX/ICG/ISIS5132 nanoparticles demonstrate an efficient triple synergistic effect of chemo-/PTT/PDT, which is desired for breast cancer treatment. We believe that this promising multimodal therapeutic nanoparticle system can promote the further clinical application in the treatment of breast cancer and can also be adapted to other types of cancer.

Recent Progress of Gold-Based Nanostructures towards Future Emblem of Photo-Triggered Cancer Theranostics: A Special Focus on Combinatorial Phototherapies

Cancer is one of the most dangerous health problems in the millennium and it is the third foremost human cause of death in the universe. Traditional cancer treatments face several disadvantages and cannot often afford adequate outcomes. It has been exhibited that the outcome of several therapies can be improved when associated with nanostructures. In addition, a modern tendency is being developed in cancer therapy to convert single-modal into multi-modal therapies with the help of existing various nanostructures. Among them, gold is the most successful nanostructure for biomedical applications due to its flexibility in preparation, stabilization, surface modifications, less cytotoxicity, and ease of bio-detection. In the past few decades, gold-based nanomaterials rule cancer treatment applications, currently, gold nanostructures were the leading nanomaterials for synergetic cancer therapies. In this review article, the synthesis, stabilization, and optical properties of gold nanostructures have been discussed. Then, the surface modifications and targeting mechanisms of gold nanomaterials will be described. Recent signs of progress in the application of gold nanomaterials for synergetic cancer therapies such as photodynamic and photo-thermal therapies in combination with other common interventions such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and will be reviewed. Also, a summary of the pharmacokinetics of gold nanostructures will be delivered. Finally, the challenges and outlooks of the gold nanostructures in the clinics for applications in cancer treatments are debated.

Rational design of pH-activated upconversion luminescent nanoprobes for bioimaging of tumor acidic microenvironment and the enhancement of photothermal therapy

The development of effective and safe tumor photothermal therapeutic strategies has attracted considerable attention. Herein, we synthesized tumor microenvironment (TME)-activatable self-assembling organic nanotheranostics (NRhD-PEG-X NPs (X = 1, 2, 3, and 4)) for precise tumor targeting and upconversion image-guided photothermal therapy (PTT). The amphiphilic polymer NRhD-PEG-X consisted of upconversion luminescent probes (NRhD) modified with polyethylene glycol (PEG) of various lengths. The continuous external irradiation-free photothermal NRhD-PEG-4 NPs with pKa 6.70 displayed high sensitivity and selectivity to protons, resulting in the turn-on upconversion luminescence and enhanced photothermal properties in the acidic TME without asynchronous therapy and side effects. This nanotheranostic offers acidic activatability, tumor targetability, and PTT enhancement, thus allowing autofluorescence-free upconversion luminescent imaging-guided precision PTT. Our strategy affords a paradigm to develop activatable theranostic nanoplatforms for precision medicine. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: As a hyperthermia-based treatment, activatable photothermal therapy (PTT) is highly significant in tumor treatment. Herein, we develop acidic tumor microenvironment-activatable nanotheranostics for upconversion luminescent imaging-guided diagnosis and precision tumor-targeted PTT. PEGylation of upconversion dyes not only could self-assemble to yield organic nanoparticles in water, but it could also significantly improve biocompatibility, stability, and circulation time and tune significantly the pKa value of nanoparticles. In an acidic tumor microenvironment, NRhD-PEG-4 NPs with pKa 6.70 show high sensitivity to release NRhDH⁺-PEG-4 NPs, which exhibit good upconversion luminescence and enhanced photothermal effect. Therefore, upconversion luminescence imaging-guided precision PTT has high potential to enhance cancer diagnostic and therapeutic efficiency.

Antibody-modified Gold Nanobiostructures: Advancing Targeted Photodynamic Therapy for Improved Cancer Treatment

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an innovative, non-invasive method of treating cancer that uses light-activated photosensitizers to create reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, challenges associated with the limited penetration depth of light and the need for precise control over photosensitizer activation have hindered its clinical translation. Nanomedicine, particularly gold nanobiostructures, offers promising solutions to overcome these limitations. This paper reviews the advancements in PDT and nanomedicine, focusing on applying antibody-modified gold nanobiostructures as multifunctional platforms for enhanced PDT efficacy and improved cancer treatment outcomes. The size, shape, and composition of gold nanobiostructures can significantly influence their PDT efficacy, making synthetic procedures crucial. Functionalizing the surface of gold nanobiostructures with various molecules, such as antibodies or targeting agents, bonding agents, PDT agents, photothermal therapy (PTT) agents, chemo-agents, immunotherapy agents, and imaging agents, allows composition modification. Integrating gold nanobiostructures with PDT holds immense potential for targeted cancer therapy. Antibody-modified gold nanobiostructures, in particular, have gained significant attention due to their tunable plasmonic characteristics, biocompatibility, and surface functionalization capabilities. These multifunctional nanosystems possess unique properties that enhance the efficacy of PDT, including improved light absorption, targeted delivery, and enhanced ROS generation. Passive and active targeting of gold nanobiostructures can enhance their localization near cancer cells, leading to efficient eradication of tumor tissues upon light irradiation. Future research and clinical studies will continue to explore the potential of gold nanobiostructures in PDT for personalized and effective cancer therapy. The synthesis, functionalization, and characterization of gold nanobiostructures, their interaction with light, and their impact on photosensitizers' photophysical and photochemical properties, are important areas of investigation. Strategies to enhance targeting efficiency and the evaluation of gold nanobiostructures in vitro and in vivo studies will further advance their application in PDT. The integrating antibody-modified gold nanobiostructures in PDT represents a promising strategy for targeted cancer therapy. These multifunctional nanosystems possess unique properties that enhance PDT efficacy, including improved light absorption, targeted delivery, and enhanced ROS generation. Continued research and development in this field will contribute to the advancement of personalized and effective cancer treatment approaches.

Multifunctional nanotheranostics for near infrared optical imaging-guided treatment of brain tumors

Malignant brain tumors, a heterogeneous group of primary and metastatic neoplasms in the central nervous system (CNS), are notorious for their highly invasive and devastating characteristics, dismal prognosis and low survival rate. Recently, near-infrared (NIR) optical imaging modalities including fluorescence imaging (FLI) and photoacoustic imaging (PAI) have displayed bright prospect in innovation of brain tumor diagnoses, due to their merits, like noninvasiveness, high spatiotemporal resolution, good sensitivity and large penetration depth. Importantly, these imaging techniques have been widely used to vividly guide diverse brain tumor therapies in a real-time manner with high accuracy and efficiency. Herein, we provide a systematic summary of the state-of-the-art NIR contrast agents (CAs) for brain tumors single-modal imaging (e.g., FLI and PAI), dual-modal imaging (e.g., FLI/PAI, FLI/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and PAI/MRI) and triple-modal imaging (e.g., MRI/FLI/PAI and MRI/PAI/computed tomography (CT) imaging). In addition, we update the most recent progress on the NIR optical imaging-guided therapies, like single-modal (e.g., photothermal therapy (PTT), chemotherapy, surgery, photodynamic therapy (PDT), gene therapy and gas therapy), dual-modal (e.g., PTT/chemotherapy, PTT/surgery, PTT/PDT, PDT/chemotherapy, PTT/chemodynamic therapy (CDT) and PTT/gene therapy) and triple-modal (e.g., PTT/PDT/chemotherapy, PTT/PDT/surgery, PTT/PDT/gene therapy and PTT/gene/chemotherapy). Finally, we discuss the opportunities and challenges of the CAs and nanotheranostics for future clinic translation.

Next-generation engineered nanogold for multimodal cancer therapy and imaging: a clinical perspectives

Cancer is one of the significant threats to human life. Although various latest technologies are currently available to treat cancer, it still accounts for millions of death each year worldwide. Thus, creating a need for more developed and novel technologies to combat this deadly condition. Nanoparticles-based cancer therapeutics have offered a promising approach to treat cancer effectively while minimizing adverse events. Among various nanoparticles, nanogold (AuNPs) are biocompatible and have proved their efficiency in treating cancer because they can reach tumors via enhanced permeability and retention effect. The size and shape of the AuNPs are responsible for their diverse therapeutic behavior. Thus, to modulate their therapeutic values, the AuNPs can be synthesized in various shapes, such as spheres, cages, flowers, shells, prisms, rods, clusters, etc. Also, attaching AuNPs with single or multiple targeting agents can facilitate the active targeting of AuNPs to the tumor tissue. The AuNPs have been much explored for photothermal therapy (PTT) to treat cancer. In addition to PTT, AuNPs-based nanoplatforms have been investigated for combinational multimodal therapies in the last few years, including photodynamic therapy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, etc., to ablate cancer cells. Thus, the present review focuses on the recent advancements in the functionalization of AuNPs-based nanoconstructs for cancer imaging and therapy using combinatorial multimodal approaches to treat various cancers.

Gold nanomaterials for oral cancer diagnosis and therapy: Advances, challenges, and prospects

Early diagnosis and treatment of oral cancer are vital for patient survival. Since the oral cavity accommodates the second largest and most diverse microbiome community after the gut, the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches with low invasiveness and minimal damage to surrounding tissues are keys to preventing clinical intervention-related infections. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are widely used in the research of cancer diagnosis and therapy due to their excellent properties such as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, surface plasma resonance, controlled synthesis, the plasticity of surface morphology, biological safety, and stability. AuNPs had been used in oral cancer detection reagents, tumor-targeted therapy, photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, and other combination therapies for oral cancer. AuNPs-based noninvasive diagnosis and precise treatments further reduce the clinical intervention-related infections. This review is focused on the recent advances in research and application of AuNPs for early screening, diagnostic typing, drug delivery, photothermal therapy, radiotherapy sensitivity treatment, and combination therapy of oral cancer. Distinctive reports from the literature are summarized to highlight the latest advances in the development and application of AuNPs in oral cancer diagnosis and therapy. Finally, this review points out the challenges and prospects of possible applications of AuNPs in oral cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Histopathological Analysis of the Effect of Photodynamic Action on Post-Chemotherapy Excised Breast Cancer Tissue

Background and objectives: Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women and its mortality is increasing. Therefore, research to improve treatment is of paramount importance. One method of treatment is photodynamic therapy. Photodynamic therapy selectively stimulates apoptosis in photosensitizer-treated neoplastic breast cells as a result of cytotoxic singlet oxygen generation via collisions between triplet excited state photosensitizer and triplet ground state oxygen upon tissue irradiation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of photodynamic action on cancerous breast tissue samples as a model of photodynamic therapy. Materials and Methods: Breast cancer tissue samples were obtained from post-operative material and the patterns of histopathological changes in breast cancer tissue before and after photodynamic action on post-chemotherapy tissue were evaluated. Excised tissue samples were obtained from 48 female breast cancer patients who had previously undergone chemotherapy. Breast cancer tissues for this study were taken from macroscopically visible tumors larger than 10 mm. Histopathological analysis was performed to evaluate any morphological changes prior to and after photodynamic action on the post-chemotherapy tissue samples. Eighteen breast cancer tissue samples were analyzed before chemotherapy, fifteen after chemotherapy, and fifteen samples were analyzed after chemotherapy and application of photodynamic action. The photosensitizer Rose Bengal was applied to the samples subjected to photodynamic action. Results: Photodynamic action on post-chemotherapy neoplastic tissue showed histological changes under a light microscope. The results showed that morphological changes in breast cancer tissues after chemotherapy and photodynamic action were dependent on the concentration of Rose Bengal. In all cases, follow-up imaging showed tumor shrinkage of an average of 35% from baseline size. Conclusions: Histopathological examination revealed photosensitizer-concentration-dependent changes after photodynamic action in excised post-chemotherapy tissue. The effects of photodynamic action observed in this study suggest that the application of photodynamic therapy after chemotherapy can aid in breast cancer cell eradication.

Multifunctional Gold Nanoparticles in Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the world, behind only cardiovascular diseases, and is one of the most serious diseases threatening human health nowadays. Cancer patients’ lives are being extended by the use of contemporary medical technologies, such as surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. However, these treatments are not always effective in extending cancer patients’ lives. Simultaneously, these approaches are often accompanied with a series of negative consequences, such as the occurrence of adverse effects and an increased risk of relapse. As a result, the development of a novel cancer-eradication strategy is still required. The emergence of nanomedicine as a promising technology brings a new avenue for the circumvention of limitations of conventional cancer therapies. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), in particular, have garnered extensive attention due to their many specific advantages, including customizable size and shape, multiple and useful physicochemical properties, and ease of functionalization. Based on these characteristics, many therapeutic and diagnostic applications of AuNPs have been exploited, particularly for malignant tumors, such as drug and nucleic acid delivery, photodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy, and X-ray-based computed tomography imaging. To leverage the potential of AuNPs, these applications demand a comprehensive and in-depth overview. As a result, we discussed current achievements in AuNPs in anticancer applications in a more methodical manner in this review. Also addressed in depth are the present status of clinical trials, as well as the difficulties that may be encountered when translating some basic findings into the clinic, in order to serve as a reference for future studies.

Synthesis and applications of [60]fullerene nanoconjugate with 5-aminolevulinic acid and its glycoconjugate as drug delivery vehicles

The 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) prodrug is widely used in clinical applications, primarily for skin cancer treatments and to visualize brain tumors in neurosurgery. Unfortunately, its applications are limited by unfavorable pharmacological properties, especially low lipophilicity; therefore, efficient nanovehicles are needed. For this purpose, we synthesized and characterized two novel water-soluble fullerene nanomaterials containing 5-ALA and d-glucuronic acid components. Their physicochemical properties were investigated using NMR, XPS, ESI mass spectrometry, as well as TEM and SEM techniques. In addition, HPLC and fluorescence measurements were performed to evaluate the biological activity of the fullerene nanomaterials in 5-ALA delivery and photodynamic therapy (PDT); additional detection of selected mRNA targets was carried out using the qRT-PCR methodology. The cellular response to the [60]fullerene conjugates resulted in increased levels of ABCG2 and PEPT-1 genes, as determined by qRT-PCR analysis. Therefore, we designed a combination PDT approach based on two fullerene materials, C₆₀-ALA and C₆₀-ALA-GA, along with the ABCG2 inhibitor Ko143.

One-Step Aqueous Synthesis of Anionic and Cationic AgInS2 Quantum Dots and Their Utility in Improving the Efficacy of ALA-Based Photodynamic Therapy

Silver-indium-sulfide quantum dots (AIS QDs) have potential applications in many areas, including biomedicine. Their lack of regulated heavy metals, unlike many commercialized QDs, stands out as an advantage, but the necessity for alloyed or core-shell structures and related costly and sophisticated processes for the production of stable and high quantum yield aqueous AIS QDs are the current challenges. The present study demonstrates the one-step aqueous synthesis of simple AgInS2 QD compositions utilizing for the first time either a polyethyleneimine/2-mercaptopropionic acid (AIS-PEI/2MPA) mixture or only 2-mercaptopropionic acid (AIS-2MPA) as the stabilizing molecules, providing a AgInS2 portfolio consisting of cationic and anionic AIS QDs, respectively, and tuneable emission. Small AIS QDs with long-term stability and high quantum yields (19-23%) were achieved at a molar ratio of Ag/In/S 1/10/10 in water without any dopant or a semiconductor shell. The theranostic potential of these cationic and anionic AIS QDs was also evaluated in vitro. Non-toxic doses were determined, and fluorescence imaging potential was demonstrated. More importantly, these QDs were electrostatically loaded with zwitterionic 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) as a prodrug to enhance the tumor availability of ALA and to improve ALA-induced porphyrin photodynamic therapy (PDT). This is the first study investigating the influence of nanoparticle charge on ALA binding, release, and therapeutic efficacy. Surface charge was found to be more critical in cellular internalization and dark toxicity rather than drug loading and release. Both QDs provided enhanced ALA release at acidic pH but protected the prodrug at physiological pH, which is critical for tumor delivery of ALA, which suffers from low bioavailability. The PDT efficacy of the ALA-loaded AIS QDs was tested in 2D monolayers and 3D constructs of HT29 and SW480 human colon adenocarcinoma cancer cell lines. The incorporation of ALA delivery by the AIS QDs, which on their own do not cause phototoxicity, elicited significant cell death due to enhanced light-induced ROS generation and apoptotic/necrotic cell death, reducing the IC50 for ALA dramatically to about 0.1 and 0.01 mM in anionic and cationic AIS QDs, respectively. Combined with simple synthetic methods, the strong intracellular photoluminescence of AIS QDs, good biocompatibility of especially the anionic AIS QDs, and the ability to act as drug carriers for effective PDT signify that the AIS QDs, in particular AIS-2MPA, are highly promising theranostic QDs.

Current understandings and clinical translation of nanomedicines for breast cancer therapy

Breast cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers that is threatening women's life. Current clinical treatment regimens for breast cancer often involve neoadjuvant and adjuvant systemic therapies, which somewhat are associated with unfavorable features. Also, the heterogeneous nature of breast cancers requires precision medicine that cannot be fulfilled by a single type of systemically administered drug. Taking advantage of the nanocarriers, nanomedicines emerge as promising therapeutic agents for breast cancer that could resolve the defects of drugs and achieve precise drug delivery to almost all sites of primary and metastatic breast tumors (e.g. tumor vasculature, tumor stroma components, breast cancer cells, and some immune cells). Seven nanomedicines as represented by Doxil® have been approved for breast cancer clinical treatment so far. More nanomedicines including both non-targeting and active targeting nanomedicines are being evaluated in the clinical trials. However, we have to realize that the translation of nanomedicines, particularly the active targeting nanomedicines is not as successful as people have expected. This review provides a comprehensive landscape of the nanomedicines for breast cancer treatment, from laboratory investigations to clinical applications. We also highlight the key advances in the understanding of the biological fate and the targeting strategies of breast cancer nanomedicine and the implications to clinical translation.

Progress in Nanocarriers Codelivery System to Enhance the Anticancer Effect of Photodynamic Therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising anticancer noninvasive method and has great potential for clinical applications. Unfortunately, PDT still has many limitations, such as metastatic tumor at unknown sites, inadequate light delivery and a lack of sufficient oxygen. Recent studies have demonstrated that photodynamic therapy in combination with other therapies can enhance anticancer effects. The development of new nanomaterials provides a platform for the codelivery of two or more therapeutic drugs, which is a promising cancer treatment method. The use of multifunctional nanocarriers for the codelivery of two or more drugs can improve physical and chemical properties, increase tumor site aggregation, and enhance the antitumor effect through synergistic actions, which is worthy of further study. This review focuses on the latest research progress on the synergistic enhancement of PDT by simultaneous multidrug administration using codelivery nanocarriers. We introduce the design of codelivery nanocarriers and discuss the mechanism of PDT combined with other antitumor methods. The combination of PDT and chemotherapy, gene therapy, immunotherapy, photothermal therapy, hyperthermia, radiotherapy, sonodynamic therapy and even multidrug therapy are discussed to provide a comprehensive understanding.

Multifunctional Hybrid Hydrogel Enhanced Antitumor Therapy through Multiple Destroying DNA Functions by a Triple-Combination Synergistic Therapy

Brachytherapy, as an effective setting for precise cancer therapy in clinic, can lead to serious DNA damage. However, its therapeutic efficacy is always limited by the DNA self-repair property, tumor hypoxia-associated radiation resistance as well as inhomogeneous distribution of the radioactive material. Herein, a multifunctional hybrid hydrogel (¹³¹ I-hydrogel/DOX/GNPs aggregates) is developed by loading gold nanoparticle aggregates (GNPs aggregates) and DOX into a radionuclide iodine-131 (¹³¹ I) labelled polymeric hydrogels (¹³¹ I-PEG-P(Tyr)₈ ) for tumor destruction by completely damaging DNA self-repair functions. This hybrid hydrogel exhibits excellent photothermal/radiolabel stability, biocompatibility, and fluorescence/photothermal /SPECT imaging properties. After local injection, the sustained releasing DOX within tumor greatly inhibits the DNA replication. Meanwhile, GNPs aggregates as a radiosensitizer and photosensitizer show a significant improvement of brachytherapeutic efficacy and cause serious DNA damage. Simultaneously, GNPs aggregates induce mild photothermal therapy under 808 nm laser irradiation, which not only inhibits self-repair of the damaged DNA but also effectively relieves tumor hypoxic condition to enhance the therapeutic effects of brachytherapy, leading to a triple-synergistic destruction of DNA functions. Therefore, this study provides a highly efficient tumor synergistic therapy platform and insight into the synergistic antitumor mechanism in DNA level.

Metal Nanoparticles for Photodynamic Therapy: A Potential Treatment for Breast Cancer

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignant tumor in women worldwide, which seriously threatens women’s physical and mental health. In recent years, photodynamic therapy (PDT) has shown significant advantages in cancer treatment. PDT involves activating photosensitizers with appropriate wavelengths of light, producing transient levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Compared with free photosensitizers, the use of nanoparticles in PDT shows great advantages in terms of solubility, early degradation, and biodistribution, as well as more effective intercellular penetration and targeted cancer cell uptake. Under the current circumstances, researchers have made promising efforts to develop nanocarrier photosensitizers. Reasonably designed photosensitizer (PS) nanoparticles can be achieved through non-covalent (self-aggregation, interfacial deposition, interfacial polymerization or core-shell embedding and physical adsorption) or covalent (chemical immobilization or coupling) processes and accumulate in certain tumors through passive and/or active targeting. These PS loading methods provide chemical and physical stability to the PS payload. Among nanoparticles, metal nanoparticles have the advantages of high stability, adjustable size, optical properties, and easy surface functionalization, making them more biocompatible in biological applications. In this review, we summarize the current development and application status of photodynamic therapy for breast cancer, especially the latest developments in the application of metal nanocarriers in breast cancer PDT, and highlight some of the recent synergistic therapies, hopefully providing an accessible overview of the current knowledge that may act as a basis for new ideas or systematic evaluations of already promising results.

Nanoliposomes co-encapsulating Ce6 and SB3CT against the proliferation and metastasis of melanoma with the integration of photodynamic therapy and NKG2D-related immunotherapy on A375 cells

Purpose. To overcome the insufficiency of conventional photodynamic therapy (PDT) for treating metastatic melanoma, the combination of smart nanoparticles and PDT with immunotherapy was used to achieve a higher efficiency by accumulating more photosensitizers in tumor areas and triggering stronger immune responses against tumors after PDT.Methods. In this study, we designed a nanoliposome co-encapsulation of chlorin E6 (Ce6) and SB-3CT to realize significant antitumoral proliferation and metastasis efficacy after laser irradiation in A375 cells. The morphology, size distribution, and loading efficiency of Ce6-SB3CT@Liposome (Lip-SC) were characterized. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and cytotoxicity were evaluated in A375 cells, and the mechanisms of natural killer (NK) cell-mediated killing were assessed.Results. Lip-SC showed good stability and was well-dispersed with a diameter of approximately 140 nm in phosphate-buffered saline. The nanoliposomes could accumulate in tumor areas and induce apoptosis in cancer cells upon 660 nm light irradiation, which could trigger an immune response and induce the expression of NK group 2 member D (NKG2D) ligands. The subsequently released SB-3CT could further activate NK cells effectively and strengthen the immune system by inhibiting the shedding of soluble NKG2D ligands.Discussion. Taken together, the synergistic effects of SB-3CT on nanoliposomes for Ce6-mediated PDT were analyzed in detail to provide a new platform for future anti-melanoma treatment.

Surface engineering strategies of gold nanomaterials and their applications in biomedicine and detection

Gold nanomaterials have potential applications in biosensors and biomedicine due to their controllable synthesis steps, high biocompatibility, low toxicity and easy surface modification. However, there are still various limitations including low water solubility and stability, which greatly affect their applications. In addition, some synthetic methods are very complicated and costly. Therefore, huge efforts have been made to improve their properties. This review mainly introduces the strategies for surface modification of gold nanomaterials, such as amines, biological small molecules and organic small molecules as well as the biological applications of these functionalized AuNPs. We aim to provide effective ideas for better functionalization of gold nanomaterials in the future.

Gold nanostructures as mediators of hyperthermia therapies in breast cancer

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women. Due to the limitations of the current therapeutics, new treatment options are needed. Hyperthermia is a promising approach to improve breast cancer therapy, particularly when combined with chemo and radiotherapy. This area has gained more attention following association with nanotechnology, with the emergence of modalities, such as photothermal therapy (PTT). PTT is a simple, minimally invasive technique that requires a near infrared (NIR) light source and a PTT agent. Gold nanostructures are excellent PTT agents as they offer biocompatibility, versatility, high photothermal conversion efficiency, imaging contrast and an easily-modified surface. In this review, we describe the molecular basis and the current clinical aspects of hyperthermia-based therapies. The emergent area of nanoparticle-induced hyperthermia will be explored, in particular gold nanostructure-mediated PTT, focusing on recent preclinical studies for breast cancer management.

Development of gold nanorods for cancer treatment

There has been growing interest in the application of gold nanorods (GNRs) to tumor therapy due to the unique properties they possess. In the past, GNRs were not used in clinical treatments as they lacked stability in vivo and were characterized by potential toxicity. Despite these issues, the significant potential for utilizing GNRs to conduct safe and effective treatments for tumors cannot be ignored. Therefore, it remains crucial to thoroughly investigate the mechanisms behind the toxicity of GNRs in order to provide the means of overcoming obstacles to its full application in the future. This review presents the toxic effects of GNRs, the factors affecting toxicity and the methods to improve biocompatibility, all of which are presently being studied. Finally, we conclude by briefly discussing the current research status of GNRs and provide additional perspective on the challenges involved along with the course of development for GNRs in the future.

Dual-Channel Theranostic System for Quantitative Self-Indication and Low-Temperature Synergistic Therapy of Cancer

A conventional theranostic system usually employs a single fluorescence channel to show the pharmacokinetic events, which usually fails to quantitatively reveal the true cumulative drug release and with low accuracy. Herein, indocyanine green (ICG) and chlorins e6 (Ce6) are selected not only as conventional photothermal/photodynamic agents, but also to offer two independent fluorescence channels to cross validate the authenticity of pharmacokinetic events and to quantitatively reveal cumulative drug release in tumor tissues in a "turn on" manner. Employing the Ca²⁺ of amorphous calcium carbonate as a reversible linker, the photosensitivity and fluorescence of Ce6 are physically quenched by ICG during circulation to reduce the side effect of photodynamic therapy (PDT) while being readily restored in tumor tissue to reveal the quantitative drug release. Most importantly, the combination of photothermal therapy (PTT) and PDT allows low-temperature synergistic therapy of cancer through the controlled expression of heat shock protein in cells and mild hyperthermia enhanced reactive oxygen species diffusion/penetration among cells. This work not only develops a facile approach to fabricate a dual-channel theranostic system to precisely indicate the accumulation and quantitative drug release in tumor tissue, but also presents a unique low-temperature synergistic strategy to destroy tumor in an effective and minimally invasive manner.

The potential of photodynamic therapy in current breast cancer treatment methodologies

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) has been known for over a hundred years, and currently gaining in acceptance as an alternative cancer treatment. Light delivery is still a difficult problem in deep cancer treatment with PDT. Only near-infrared light in the 700-1100 nm range can penetrate deeply into the tissue because most tissue chromophores, including oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin, melanin and fat, poorly absorb in the near infrared window. The light sources used in PDT are lasers, arc lamps, light-emitting diodes and fluorescent lamps. PDT has been used for many different clinical applications. PDT may be excellent alternative in the treatment and diagnosis of breast cancer compared to the conventional surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The basic elements of PDT are an appropriate photosensitizer (PS), oxygen, and light. The effectiveness of photodynamic therapy depends on the induction of photocytotoxic reactions, which are the result of light activation of PS), pre-administered to the body. The condition for initiating PDT processes is light absorption by PS and subsequent localized generation of cytotoxic reactive oxygen species. This study is a review of empirical research aimed at improving the therapy and diagnosis of breast cancer using PDT based on the physicochemical differences in healthy and diseased tissues and the tissues undergoing treatment.

Photo-Responsive Supramolecular Micelles for Controlled Drug Release and Improved Chemotherapy

Development of stimuli-responsive supramolecular micelles that enable high levels of well-controlled drug release in cancer cells remains a grand challenge. Here, we encapsulated the antitumor drug doxorubicin (DOX) and pro-photosensitizer 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) within adenine-functionalized supramolecular micelles (A-PPG), in order to achieve effective drug delivery combined with photo-chemotherapy. The resulting DOX/5-ALA-loaded micelles exhibited excellent light and pH-responsive behavior in aqueous solution and high drug-entrapment stability in serum-rich media. A short duration (1-2 min) of laser irradiation with visible light induced the dissociation of the DOX/5-ALA complexes within the micelles, which disrupted micellular stability and resulted in rapid, immediate release of the physically entrapped drug from the micelles. In addition, in vitro assays of cellular reactive oxygen species generation and cellular internalization confirmed the drug-loaded micelles exhibited significantly enhanced cellular uptake after visible light irradiation, and that the light-triggered disassembly of micellar structures rapidly increased the production of reactive oxygen species within the cells. Importantly, flow cytometric analysis demonstrated that laser irradiation of cancer cells incubated with DOX/5-ALA-loaded A-PPG micelles effectively induced apoptotic cell death via endocytosis. Thus, this newly developed supramolecular system may offer a potential route towards improving the efficacy of synergistic chemotherapeutic approaches for cancer.

Molybdenum-based hetero-nanocomposites for cancer therapy, diagnosis and biosensing application: Current advancement and future breakthroughs

In recent years, there have been significant advancements in the nanotechnology for cancer therapy. Even though molybdenum disulphide (MoS2)-based nanocomposites demonstrated extensive applications in biosensing, bioimaging, phototherapy, the review article focusing on MoS2 nanocomposite platform has not been accounted for yet. The review summarizes recent strategies on design and fabrication of MoS2-based nanocomposites and their modulated properties in cancer treatment. The review also discussed several therapeutic strategies (photothermal, photodynamic, immunotherapy, gene therapy and chemotherapy) and their combinations for efficient cancer therapy along with certain case studies. The review also inculcates various diagnostic techniques viz. magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, photoacoustic imaging and fluorescence imaging for diagnosis of cancer.

Cantharidin-loaded functional mesoporous titanium peroxide nanoparticles for non-small cell lung cancer targeted chemotherapy combined with high effective photodynamic therapy

BACKGROUND

Although photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as a potential alternative to conventional chemotherapy, the low reactive oxygen species (ROS) yield of the photosensitizer such as TiO2 nanoparticles has limited its application. In addition, it is difficult to achieve effective tumor treatment with a single tumor therapy.

METHODS

We used TiOx nanocomposite (YSA-PEG-TiOX ) instead of TiO2 as a photosensitizer to solve the problem of insufficient ROS generation in PDT. Benefiting from the desired mesoporous structure of TiOx, Cantharidin (CTD), one of the active components of mylabris, is loaded into TiOx for targeted combination of chemotherapy and PDT. The cellular uptake in human non-small cell lung carcinoma cell line (A549) and human normal breast cell line (MCF 10A) was evaluated by confocal microscopy. in vitro cytotoxicity was evaluated using Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. The ROS was detected via a chemical probe DCFH-DA and the photodynamic treatment effect of YSA-PEG-TiOx was further evaluated by a living-dead staining. The cell apoptosis was detected by the flow cytometry.

RESULTS

Our findings showed that the modification of YSA peptide improved the cytotoxicity of YSA-PEG-TiOX /CTD to EphA2 overexpressing A549 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) than non-YSA modified counterparts. In addition, TiOx generated adequate ROS under X-ray irradiation to further kill cancer cells. Flow analysis results also proved the superiority of this combined treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

YSA-PEG-TiOX nanoparticles could significantly increase ROS production under X-ray exposure and provide a new drug delivery nanocarrier for CTD in combination with PDT to achieve effective NSCLC treatment.

Multifunctional nanoparticles as photosensitizer delivery carriers for enhanced photodynamic cancer therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an emerging cancer treatment combining light, oxygen, and a photosensitizer (PS) to produce highly cytotoxic reactive oxygen species that cause cancer cell death. However, most PSs are hydrophobic molecules that have poor water solubility and cannot target tumor tissues, causing damage to normal tissues and cells during PDT. Thus, there is a substantial demand for the development of nanocarrier systems to achieve targeted delivery of PSs into tumor tissues and cells. This review summarizes the research progress in PS delivery systems for PDT treatment of tumors and focuses on the recent design and development of multifunctional nanoparticles as PS delivery carriers for enhanced PDT. These multifunctional nanoparticles possess unique properties, including tunable particle size, changeable shape, stimuli-responsive PS activation, controlled PS release, and hierarchical targeting capability. These properties can increase tumor accumulation, penetration, and cellular internalization of nanoparticles to achieve PS activation and/or release in cancer cells for enhanced PDT. Finally, recent developments in multifunctional nanoparticles for tumor-targeted PS delivery and their future prospects in PDT are discussed.

The investigation of unique water-soluble heptamethine cyanine dye for use as NIR photosensitizer in photodynamic therapy of cancer cells

In this paper, a unique water-soluble heptamethine cyanine dye as NIR photosensitizer was synthesized to explore its properties associated with potential applications in photodynamic therapy (PDT). In the strategy of designing this photosensitizer, a sulfonic acid was used as a water soluble functional group and linked to the fluorophore through alkyl chains. 4-amino-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl(Tempo) moiety was used as the a nitroxide spin label in obtaining biochemical reaction information in vivo due to it could greatly increase the inter-system crossing (ISC) process for triplet-state photosensitizers and low toxicity. As expected, the photosensitizers performed well in vitro photodynamic therapy. There were a remarkable absorbance band located at 692 nm and emission peaks falls at 762 nm, the quantum yield (Φ_f) was calculated to be 12.12% in pure aqueous solution using ICG as standards. The photosensitizer also has high singlet oxygen quantum yield (Φ_△) for 16.96% with NIR LED irradiation. This photosensitizer can rapidly produce singlet oxygen and exhibit high phototoxicity under NIR light irradiation. It has excellent cellular uptake ability and better cell compatibility. It was also successfully applied in Near-infrared fluorescence imaging and AO/EB staining. In a whole, the organic dye based on Heptamethine cyanine used as photosensitizer has great potential in vivo cancer treatment.

NIR Light-Degradable Antimony Nanoparticle-Based Drug-Delivery Nanosystem for Synergistic Chemo-Photothermal Therapy in Vitro

A novel drug-delivery nanosystem based on near-infrared (NIR) light-degradable antimony nanoparticles (AMNP) have been developed for synergistic chemo-phototherapy in vitro. The monodispersed AMNP were synthesized by using a simple and cost-effective method. Positively charged doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) was loaded onto the negatively charged surface of AMNP via electrostatic interaction and finally modified by polyacrylic acid (PAA) to enhance biocompatibility. Under NIR (808 nm) laser irradiation of the AMNP-DOX-PAA nanosystem, not only was high photothermal conversion efficiency of AMNP achieved but also pH-dependent DOX release was enhanced due to laser-induced hyperthermia. As a consequence, almost all of the HeLa cells (around 97%) were killed because of the combined effects of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy. More interestingly, AMNP showed very fast (about 10 min) laser-induced degradation that may help to minimize long-term toxicity after therapy by using same-wavelength NIR laser irradiation (808 nm). Computational total energy calculations and molecular dynamics simulations based on density functional theory (DFT) suggest that the NIR laser irradiation induces a photothermally activated reaction on the surface of AMNP in water, which can lead to surface degradation via the formation of Sb-H bonds first and then Sb-OH bonds upon further increase of temperature. This work demonstrates a simple platform that has potential applications for synergistic and highly effective chemo-photothermal therapy based on photodegradable nanoparticles.

Development of Multifunctional Clay-Based Nanomedicine for Elimination of Primary Invasive Breast Cancer and Prevention of Its Lung Metastasis and Distant Inoculation

Cancer recurrence and metastasis are worldwide challenges but current bimodular strategies such as combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy (CTX), and photothermal therapy (PTT) and immunotherapy have succeeded only in some limited cases. Thus in the present study, a multifunctional nanomedicine has been rationally designed via elegantly integrating three FDA-approved therapeutics, that is, indocyanine green (for PTT), doxorubicin (for CTX), and CpG (for immunotherapy) into the structure of layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanoparticles, aiming to completely prevent the recurrence and metastasis of invasive breast cancer. This multifunctional hybrid nanomedicine has been demonstrated to eliminate the primary tumor and efficiently prevent tumor recurrence and lung metastasis through combined PTT/CTX and induction of specific and strong immune responses mediated by the hybrid nanomedicine in a 4T1 breast cancer mouse model. Furthermore, the promoted in situ immunity has significantly inhibited the growth of reinoculated distant tumors. Altogether, our multifunctional LDH-based nanomedicine has showed an excellent efficacy in invasive cancer treatment using much lower doses of three FDA-approved therapeutics, providing a preclinical/clinical alternative to cost-effectively treat invasive breast cancer.

Plasmonic Photothermal Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications

Recent advances of plasmonic nanoparticles include fascinating developments in the fields of energy, catalyst chemistry, optics, biotechnology, and medicine. The plasmonic photothermal properties of metallic nanoparticles are of enormous interest in biomedical fields because of their strong and tunable optical response and the capability to manipulate the photothermal effect by an external light source. To date, most biomedical applications using photothermal nanoparticles have focused on photothermal therapy; however, to fully realize the potential of these particles for clinical and other applications, the fundamental properties of photothermal nanoparticles need to be better understood and controlled, and the photothermal effect-based diagnosis, treatment, and theranostics should be thoroughly explored. This Progress Report summarizes recent advances in the understanding and applications of plasmonic photothermal nanoparticles, particularly for sensing, imaging, therapy, and drug delivery, and discusses the future directions of these fields.