Photothermal-triggered control of sub-cellular drug accumulation using doxorubicin-loaded single-walled carbon nanotubes for the effective killing of human breast cancer cells

Nano-therapeutics: The upcoming nanomedicine to treat cancer

Nanotechnology is considered a successful approach for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Preferentially, cancer cell recognition and drug targeting via nano-delivery system include the penetration of anticancer agents into the cell membrane to damage the cancer cell by protein modification, DNA oxidation, or mitochondrial dysfunction. The past research on nano-delivery systems and their target has proven the beneficial achievement in a malignant tumor. Modern perceptions using inventive nanomaterials for cancer management have been offered by a multifunctional platform based on various nano-carriers with the probability of imaging and cancer therapy simultaneously. Emerging nano-delivery systems in cancer therapy still lack knowledge of the biological functions behind the interaction between nanoparticles and cancer cells. Since the potential of engineered nanoparticles addresses the various challenges, limiting the success of cancer therapy subsequently, it is a must to review the molecular targeting of a nano-delivery system to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of cancer. This review focuses on using a nano-delivery system, an imaging system, and encapsulated nanoparticles for cancer therapy.

A Review on Carbon Nanotubes Family of Nanomaterials and Their Health Field

The use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which are nanometric materials, in pathogen detection, protection of environments, food safety, and in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, as efficient drug delivery systems, is relevant for the improvement and advancement of pharmacological profiles of many molecules employed in therapeutics and in tissue bioengineering. It has contributed to the advancement of science due to the development of new tools and devices in the field of medicine. CNTs have versatile mechanical, physical, and chemical properties, in addition to their great potential for association with other materials to contribute to applications in different fields of medicine. As, for example, photothermal therapy, due to the ability to convert infrared light into heat, in tissue engineering, due to the mechanical resistance, flexibility, elasticity, and low density, in addition to many other possible applications, and as biomarkers, where the electronic and optics properties enable the transduction of their signals. This review aims to describe the state of the art and the perspectives and challenges of applying CNTs in the medical field. A systematic search was carried out in the indexes Medline, Lilacs, SciELO, and Web of Science using the descriptors "carbon nanotubes", "tissue regeneration", "electrical interface (biosensors and chemical sensors)", "photosensitizers", "photothermal", "drug delivery", "biocompatibility" and "nanotechnology", and "Prodrug design" and appropriately grouped. The literature reviewed showed great applicability, but more studies are needed regarding the biocompatibility of CNTs. The data obtained point to the need for standardized studies on the applications and interactions of these nanostructures with biological systems.

A Critical Appraisal of Functionalized 2-Dimensional Carbon-Based Nanomaterials for Drug Delivery Applications

The development of an efficient and innovative drug delivery system is essential to improve the pharmacological parameters of the medicinal compound or drug. The technique or manner used to improve the pharmacological parameters plays a crucial role in the delivery system. In the current scenario, various drug delivery systems are available where nanotechnology has firmly established itself in the field of drug delivery. One of the most prevalent elements is carbon with its allotropic modifications such as graphene-based nanomaterials, carbon nanotubes, carbon dots, and carbon fullerenes, these nanomaterials offer notable physiochemical and biochemical properties for the delivery applications due to their smaller size, surface area, and ability to interact with the cells or tissues. The exceptional physicochemical properties of carbon-based 2D nanomaterials, such as graphene and carbon nanotubes, make them attractive candidates for drug delivery systems. These nanomaterials offer a large surface area, high drug loading capacity, and tunable surface chemistry, enabling efficient encapsulation, controlled release, and targeted delivery of therapeutic agents. These properties of the nanomaterials can be exploited for drug delivery applications, like assisting the target delivery of drugs and aiding combination molecular imaging. This review emphasizes on the recent patents on 2D carbon-based nanomaterial and their role in drug delivery systems. Carbon-based 2D nanomaterials present a wealth of opportunities for advanced drug delivery systems. Their exceptional properties and versatility offers great potential in improving therapeutic efficacy, minimizing side effects, and enabling personalized medicine and the recent patents on 2D nanomaterial.

Application of Nanoparticles in Cancer Treatment: A Concise Review

Timely diagnosis and appropriate antitumoral treatments remain of utmost importance, since cancer remains a leading cause of death worldwide. Within this context, nanotechnology offers specific benefits in terms of cancer therapy by reducing its adverse effects and guiding drugs to selectively target cancer cells. In this comprehensive review, we have summarized the most relevant novel outcomes in the range of 2010-2023, covering the design and application of nanosystems for cancer therapy. We have established the general requirements for nanoparticles to be used in drug delivery and strategies for their uptake in tumor microenvironment and vasculature, including the reticuloendothelial system uptake and surface functionalization with protein corona. After a brief review of the classes of nanovectors, we have covered different classes of nanoparticles used in cancer therapies. First, the advances in the encapsulation of drugs (such as paclitaxel and fisetin) into nanoliposomes and nanoemulsions are described, as well as their relevance in current clinical trials. Then, polymeric nanoparticles are presented, namely the ones comprising poly lactic-co-glycolic acid, polyethylene glycol (and PEG dilemma) and dendrimers. The relevance of quantum dots in bioimaging is also covered, namely the systems with zinc sulfide and indium phosphide. Afterwards, we have reviewed gold nanoparticles (spheres and anisotropic) and their application in plasmon-induced photothermal therapy. The clinical relevance of iron oxide nanoparticles, such as magnetite and maghemite, has been analyzed in different fields, namely for magnetic resonance imaging, immunotherapy, hyperthermia, and drug delivery. Lastly, we have covered the recent advances in the systems using carbon nanomaterials, namely graphene oxide, carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, and carbon dots. Finally, we have compared the strategies of passive and active targeting of nanoparticles and their relevance in cancer theranostics. This review aims to be a (nano)mark on the ongoing journey towards realizing the remarkable potential of different nanoparticles in the realm of cancer therapeutics.

Recent advances on hyperthermia therapy applications of carbon-based nanocomposites

Generally, hyperthermia is referred to the composites capability to increase local temperature in such a way that the generated heat would lead to cancerous or bacteria cells destruction, with minimum damage to normal tissue cells. Many different materials have been utilized for hyperthermia application via different heat generating methods. Carbon-based nanomaterials consisting of graphene oxide (GO), carbon nanotube (CNT), carbon dot (CD) and carbon quantum dot (CQD), nanodiamond (ND), fullerene and carbon fiber (CF), have been studied significantly for different applications including hyperthermia due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, chemical and physical stability, thermal and electrical conductivity and in some cases photothermal conversion. Therefore, in this comprehensive review, a structure-based view on carbon nanomaterials application in hyperthermia therapy of cancer and bacteria via various methods such as optical, magnetic, ultrasonic and radiofrequency-induced hyperthermia is presented.

A Multifunctional, Highly Biocompatible, and Double-Triggering Caramelized Nanotheranostic System Loaded with Fe3O4 and DOX for Combined Chemo-Photothermal Therapy and Real-Time Magnetic Resonance Imaging Monitoring of Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Purpose

Owing to lack of specific molecular targets, the current clinical therapeutic strategy for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is still limited. In recent years, some nanosystems for malignancy treatment have received considerable attention. In this study, we prepared caramelized nanospheres (CNSs) loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) and Fe₃O₄ to achieve the synergistic effect of combined therapy and real-time magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) monitoring, so as to improve the diagnosis and therapeutic effect of TNBC.

Methods

CNSs with biocompatibility and unique optical properties were prepared by hydrothermal method, DOX and Fe₃O₄ were loaded on it to obtain Fe₃O₄/DOX@CNSs nanosystem. Characteristics including morphology, hydrodynamic size, zeta potentials and magnetic properties of Fe₃O₄/DOX@CNSs were evaluated. The DOX release was evaluated by different pH/near-infrared (NIR) light energy. Biosafety, pharmacokinetics, MRI and therapeutic treatment of Fe₃O₄@CNSs, DOX and Fe₃O₄/DOX@CNSs were examined in vitro or in vivo.

Results

Fe₃O₄/DOX@CNSs has an average particle size of 160 nm and a zeta potential of 27.5mV, it demonstrated that Fe₃O₄/DOX@CNSs is a stable and homogeneous dispersed system. The hemolysis experiment of Fe₃O₄/DOX@CNSs proved that it can be used in vivo. Fe₃O₄/DOX@CNSs displayed high photothermal conversion efficiency, extensive pH/heat-induced DOX release. 70.3% DOX release is observed under the 808 nm laser in the pH = 5 PBS solution, obviously higher than pH = 5 (50.9%) and pH = 7.4 (less than 10%). Pharmacokinetic experiments indicated the t1/2β, and AUC_0-t of Fe₃O₄/DOX@CNSs were 1.96 and 1.31 -fold higher than those of DOX solution, respectively. Additionally, Fe₃O₄/DOX@CNSs with NIR had the greatest tumor suppression in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, this nanosystem demonstrated distinct contrast enhancement on T2 MRI to achieve real-time imaging monitoring during treatment.

Conclusion

Fe₃O₄/DOX@CNSs is a highly biocompatible, double-triggering and improved DOX bioavailability nanosystem that combines chemo-PTT and real-time MRI monitoring to achieve integration of diagnosis and treatment of TNBC.

Fabrication of hexagonal boron carbonitride nanoplates using for in vitro photodynamic therapy and chemo therapy

Carbon nanomaterials and boron nitride nanomaterials have been proved to be very potential for biomedical applications. However, as an analog of them, boron carbonitride nanomaterials are rarely reported in biomedical field. In this study, the fabrication of visible light-responsive boron carbonitride nanoplates (BCNNPs) and their application in photodynamic therapy and chemo therapy were demonstrated. BCNNPs with an average size of 46 nm were fabricated via hydrogen peroxide treatment from bulk BCN. Cytotoxicity tests showed that the as-prepared BCNNPs are biocompatible and have no cytotoxicity to human breast cancer cells and human hepatocyte carcinoma cells. After conjunction with doxorubicin and folic acid, the BCNNPs were adopted as a targeted drug carrier, presenting pH-responsive release and tumor-targeting property for chemo therapy. Moreover, under certain intensity of visible light irradiation (45 mW/cm²), the BCNNPs can generate reactive oxygen species including superoxide radical, hydroxyl radical and singlet oxygen, so that synergistic photodynamic/chemo therapy effects were achieved. This work may be a groundbreaking discovery for utilizing BCNNPs as photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy and drug carrier for chemo therapy.

Insights on functionalized carbon nanotubes for cancer theranostics

Despite the exciting breakthroughs in medical technology, cancer still accounts for one of the principle triggers of death and conventional therapeutic modalities often fail to attain an effective cure. Recently, nanobiotechnology has made huge advancement in cancer therapy with gigantic application potential because of their ability in achieving precise and controlled drug release, elevating drug solubility and reducing adverse effects. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), one of the most promising carbon-related nanomaterials, have already achieved much success in biomedical field. Due to their excellent optical property, thermal and electronic conductivity, easy functionalization ability and high drug loading capacity, CNTs can be applied in a multifunctional way for cancer treatment and diagnosis. In this review, we will give an overview of the recent progress of CNT-based drug delivery systems in cancer theranostics, which emphasizes their targetability to intracellular components of tumor cells and extracellular elements in tumor microenvironment. Moreover, a detailed introduction on how CNTs penetrate inside the tumor cells to reach their sites of action and achieve the therapeutic effects, as well as their diagnostic applications will be highlighted.

Carbon Nanotubes: Smart Drug/Gene Delivery Carriers

The unique properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) (such as their high surface to volume ratios, enhanced conductivity and strength, biocompatibility, ease of functionalization, optical properties, etc.) have led to their consideration to serve as novel drug and gene delivery carriers. CNTs are effectively taken up by many different cell types through several mechanisms. CNTs have acted as carriers of anticancer molecules (including docetaxel (DTX), doxorubicin (DOX), methotrexate (MTX), paclitaxel (PTX), and gemcitabine (GEM)), anti-inflammatory drugs, osteogenic dexamethasone (DEX) steroids, etc. In addition, the unique optical properties of CNTs have led to their use in a number of platforms for improved photo-therapy. Further, the easy surface functionalization of CNTs has prompted their use to deliver different genes, such as plasmid DNA (PDNA), micro-RNA (miRNA), and small interfering RNA (siRNA) as gene delivery vectors for various diseases such as cancers. However, despite all of these promises, the most important continuous concerns raised by scientists reside in CNT nanotoxicology and the environmental effects of CNTs, mostly because of their non-biodegradable state. Despite a lack of widespread FDA approval, CNTs have been studied for decades and plenty of in vivo and in vitro reports have been published, which are reviewed here. Lastly, this review covers the future research necessary for the field of CNT medicine to grow even further.

The role of single- and multi-walled carbon nanotube in breast cancer treatment

Numerous studies have been conducted to design new strategies for breast cancer treatment. Past studies have shown a wide range of carbon-nanomaterials properties, such as single- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs and MWCNTs) in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. In this regard, the current study aims to review the role of both SWCNTs and MWCNTs in breast cancer treatment and diagnosis. For reaching this goal, we reviewed the literature by using various searching engines such as Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science and MEDLINE. This comprehensive review showed that CNTs could dramatically improve breast cancer treatment and could be used as a novel modality to increase diagnostic accuracy; however, no clinical studies have been conducted based on CNTs. In addition, the literature review demonstrates a lack of enough studies to evaluate the side effects of using CNTs.

Recent Nanocarrier Approaches for Targeted Drug Delivery in Cancer Therapy

Cancer is one of the most serious health concerns in the 21st century whose prevalence is beyond boundaries and can affect any organ of the human body. The conventional chemotherapeutic treatment strategies lack specificity to tumors and are associated with toxic effects on the immune system and other organ systems. In the past decades, there has been continuous progress in the development of smart nanocarrier systems for target-specific delivery of drugs against a variety of tumors, including intracellular gene-specific targeting. These nanocarriers are able to recognize the tumor cells and deliver the therapeutic agent in fixed proportions, causing no or very less harm to healthy cells. Nanosystems have modified physicochemical properties, improved bioavailability, and long retention in blood, which enhances their potency. A huge number of nanocarrier based formulations have been developed and are in clinical trials. Nanocarrier systems include polymeric micelles, liposomes, dendrimers, carbon nanotubes, gold nanoparticles, etc. Recent advancements in nanocarrier systems include mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), metal organic frameworks, and quantum dots. In the present review, various nanocarrier based drug delivery systems, along with their applications in the management of cancer, have been described with special emphasis on MSNs.

Carbon Nanotubes: An Emerging Drug Delivery Carrier in Cancer Therapeutics

BACKGROUND

The scope of nanotechnology has been extended to almost every sphere of our daily life. As a result of this, nanocarriers like Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) are gaining considerable attention for their use in various therapeutic and diagnostic applications.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the current article is to review various important features of CNTs that make them as efficient carriers for anticancer drug delivery in cancer therapeutics.

METHODS

In this review article, different works of literature are reported on various prospective applications of CNTs in the targeting of multiple kinds of cancerous cells of different organs via; the loading of various anticancer agents.

RESULTS

Actually, CNTs are the 3rd allotropic type of the carbon-fullerenes that are a part of the cylindrical tubular architecture. CNTs possess some excellent physicochemical characteristics and unique structural features that provide an effective platform to deliver anticancer drugs to target specific sites for achieving a high level of therapeutic effectiveness even in cancer therapeutics. For better results, CNTs are functionalized and modified with different classes of therapeutically bioactive molecules via; the formation of stable covalent bonding or by the use of supramolecular assemblies based on the noncovalent interaction(s). In recent years, the applications of CNTs for the delivery of various kinds of anticancer drugs and targeting of tumor sites have been reported by various research groups.

CONCLUSION

CNTs represent an emerging nanocarrier material for the delivery and targeting of numerous anticancer drugs in cancer therapeutics.

Molecular avenues in targeted doxorubicin cancer therapy

In recent, intra- and inter-tumor heterogeneity is seen as one of key factors behind success and failure of chemotherapy. Incessant use of doxorubicin (DOX) drug is associated with numerous post-treatment debacles including cardiomyopathy, health disorders, reversal of tumor and formation of secondary tumors. The module of cancer treatment has undergone evolutionary changes by achieving crucial understanding on molecular, genetic, epigenetic and environmental adaptations by cancer cells. Therefore, there is a paradigm shift in cancer therapeutic by employing amalgam of peptide mimetic, small RNA mimetic, DNA repair protein inhibitors, signaling inhibitors and epigenetic modulators to achieve targeted and personalized DOX therapy. This review summarizes on recent therapeutic avenues that can potentiate DOX effects by removing discernible pitfalls among cancer patients.

The Advances in Biomedical Applications of Carbon Nanotubes

Unique chemical, physical, and biological features of carbon nanotubes make them an ideal candidate for myriad applications in industry and biomedicine. Carbon nanotubes have excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, high biocompatibility, flexibility, resistance to corrosion, nano-size, and a high surface area, which can be tailored and functionalized on demand. This review discusses the progress and main fields of bio-medical applications of carbon nanotubes based on recently-published reports. It encompasses the synthesis of carbon nanotubes and their application for bio-sensing, cancer treatment, hyperthermia induction, antibacterial therapy, and tissue engineering. Other areas of carbon nanotube applications were out of the scope of this review. Special attention has been paid to the problem of the toxicity of carbon nanotubes.

Carbon Nanotubes as A High-Performance Platform for Target Delivery of Anticancer Quinones

BACKGROUND

In spite of considerable efforts of researchers the cancer deseases remain to be incurable and a percentage of cancer deseases in the structure of mortality increases every year. At that, high systemic toxicity of antitumor drugs hampers their effective use. Because of this fact, the development of nanosystems for targeted delivery of antitumor drugs is one of the leading problem in nanomedicine and nanopharmacy.

OBJECTIVE

To critically examine the modern strategies for carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-based delivery of anticancer quinones and to summarize the mechanisms which can provide high effectiveness and multifunctionality of the CNT-based quinone delivery platform.

RESULTS

Quinones, including anthracycline antibiotics - doxorubicin and daunorubicin, are among the most prospective group of natural and syntetic compounds which exhibit high antitumor activity against different type of tumors. In this review, we focus on the possibilities of using CNTs for targeted delivery of antitumor compounds with quinoid moiety which is ordinarily characterized by high specific interaction with DNA molecules. Quinones can be non-covalently adsorbed on CNT surface due to their aromatic structure and π-conjugated system of double bonds. The characteristic features of doxorubicine-CNT complex are high loading efficiency, pH-dependent release in acidic tumor microenviroment, enough stability in biological fluid. Different types of CNT functionalization, targeting strategies and designs for multifunctional CNT-based doxorubicine delivery platform are disscussed.

CONCLUSION

Nanosystems based on functionalized CNTs are very promising platform for quinone delivery resulting in significant enhancement of cancer treatment efficiency. Functionalization of CNTs with the polymeric shell, especially DNA-based shells, can provide the greatest affinity and mimicry with biological structures.

Nanopharmaceuticals and nanomedicines currently on the market: challenges and opportunities

There has been a revolution in nanotechnology and nanomedicine. Since 1980, there has been a remarkable increase in approved nano-based pharmaceutical products. These novel nano-based systems can either be therapeutic agents themselves, or else act as vehicles to carry different active pharmaceutical agents into specific parts of the body. Currently marketed nanostructures include nanocrystals, liposomes and lipid nanoparticles, PEGylated polymeric nanodrugs, other polymers, protein-based nanoparticles and metal-based nanoparticles. A range of issues must be addressed in the development of these nanostructures. Ethics, market size, possibility of market failure, costs and commercial development, are some topics which are on the table to be discussed. After passing all the ethical and biological assessments, and satisfying the investors as to future profitability, only a handful of these nanoformulations, successfully obtained marketing approval. We survey the range of nanomedicines that have received regulatory approval and are marketed. We discuss ethics, costs, commercial development and possible market failure. We estimate the global nanomedicine market size and future growth. Our goal is to summarize the different approved nanoformulations on the market, and briefly cover the challenges and future outlook.

The protective efficacy of four iron-related recombinant proteins and their single-walled carbon nanotube encapsulated counterparts against Aeromonas hydrophila infection in zebrafish

Iron-related proteins play important roles in iron homeostasis, and they may be potential vaccine candidates against pathogenic Aeromonas hydrophila. In addition, the encapsulation of antigens in single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) has recently been shown to effectively stimulate the host immune response. To investigate the immune response of zebrafish to iron-related proteins and SWCNT-encapsulated proteins, we overexpressed and purified four iron-related recombinant proteins (P55870, A0KGK5, A0KPP0, and A0KIY3) from A. hydrophila. We then vaccinated zebrafish with these proteins and their SWCNT-encapsulated counterparts via both intraperitoneal injection and bath immunization. The target proteins evoked an immune response in zebrafish after intraperitoneal injection, and SWCNT-encapsulation significantly increased the immune response after bath immunization. When challenged with virulent A. hydrophila, zebrafish administered 5 μg intraperitoneal injections of SWCNT-P55870, A0KGK5, A0KPP0, or A0KIY3 had remarkably high relative percent survivals (RPSs) (50%, 55.6%, 66.7%, and 94.44% respectively). The RPSs of zebrafish vaccinated via immunization bath with 40 mg/L SWCNT-encapsulated counterparts were also high (52.94%, 55.56%, 61.11%, and 86.11%, respectively). These results indicated that zebrafish vaccinated with P55870, A0KGK5, SWCNT-P55870, and SWCNT-A0KGK5 were partially protected, while A0KPP0 and A0KIY3 were promising vaccine candidates against pathogenic A. hydrophila infection.

A carbon nanotube-gemcitabine-lentinan three-component composite for chemo-photothermal synergistic therapy of cancer

PURPOSE

Gemcitabine's clinical application is limited due to its short plasma half-life and poor uptake by cells. To address this problem, a drug delivery three-component composite, multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs)/gemcitabine (Ge)/lentinan (Le; MWNTs-Ge-Le), was fabricated in our study. Moreover, the combination of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy was employed to enhance antitumor efficacy.

METHODS

In this study, we conjugated gemcitabine and lentinan with MWNTs via a covalent and noncovalent way to functionalize with MWNTs, and the chemical structure of MWNTs-Ge-Le was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and transmission electron microscopy. Using the composite and an 808 nm laser, we treated tumors, both in vitro and in vivo, and investigated the photothermal responses and the anticancer efficacy.

RESULTS

The MWNTs-Ge-Le composite could efficiently cross cell membrane, having a higher antitumor activity than MWNTs, gemcitabine and MWNTs-Ge in vitro and in vivo. Our study on the MWNTs-Ge-Le composite with an 808 nm laser radiation showed the combination of drug therapy and near-infrared photothermal therapy possesses great synergistic antitumor efficacy.

CONCLUSION

The MWNTs-Ge-Le three-component anticancer composite can serve as a promising candidate for cancer therapy in the combination of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy.

Polymer-Based Nanocarriers for Co-Delivery and Combination of Diverse Therapies against Cancers

Cancer gives rise to an enormous number of deaths worldwide nowadays. Therefore, it is in urgent need to develop new therapies, among which combined therapies including photothermal therapy (PTT) and chemotherapy (CHT) using polymer-based nanocarriers have attracted enormous interest due to the significantly enhanced efficacy and great progress has been made so far. The preparation of such nanocarriers is a comprehensive task involving the cooperation of nanomaterial science and biomedicine science. In this review, we try to introduce and analyze the structure, preparation and synergistic therapeutic effect of various polymer-based nanocarriers composed of anti-tumor drugs, nano-sized photothermal materials and other possible parts. Our effort may bring benefit to future exploration and potential applications of similar nanocarriers.

In vivo photoacoustic monitoring using 700-nm region Raman source for targeting Prussian blue nanoparticles in mouse tumor model

Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) is a noninvasive imaging tool to visualize optical absorbing contrast agents. Due to high ultrasonic resolution and superior optical sensitivity, PAI can be used to monitor nanoparticle-mediated cancer therapy. The current study synthesized Food and Drug Administration-approved Prussian blue (PB) in the form of nanoparticles (NPs) with the peak absorption at 712 nm for photoacoustically imaging tumor-bearing mouse models. To monitor PB NPs from the background tissue in vivo, we also developed a new 700-nm-region stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) source (pulse energy up to 200 nJ and repetition rate up to 50 kHz) and implemented optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (OR-PAM). The SRS-assisted OR-PAM system was able to monitor PB NPs in the tumor model with micrometer resolution. Due to strong light absorption at 712 nm, the developed SRS light yielded a two-fold higher contrast from PB NPs, in comparison with a 532-nm pumping source. The proposed laser source involved cost-effective and simple system implementation along with high compatibility with the fiber-based OR-PAM system. The study highlights the OR-PAM system in conjunction with the tunable-color SRS light source as a feasible tool to assist NP-mediated cancer therapy.

Near-infrared light-responsive nanoparticles for improved anticancer efficacy through synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy

Combined treatment is more effective than single treatment against most forms of cancer. The synergistic chemo-thermotherapy mediated by nanoparticles has superior advantages of lesser adverse effects as a promising cancer therapy modality. In this study, we report a theranostic carrier system co-encapsulating Doxorubicin (DOX) and Indocyanine green (ICG) into the D-α-Tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS). Full physicochemical characterization studies of the DOX/ICG-loaded TPGS nanoparticles (TNPs) are performed. TNPs have a mean size around 60 nm with superior photostability, and entrapment efficiency of drugs in TNPs was 75.0% for ICG and 68.3% for DOX. TNPs also exhibit a longer sustained release with around 63% of the entrapped drug in 24 h. In vitro studies, TNPs could effectively enhance cellular uptake of DOX and ICG, which permitted high therapeutic efficacy against cancer cells. Further, we investigate antitumor efficacy of TNPs along with its impact on major organs in vivo, TNPs also exhibit a complete inhibition of tumor growth and minimal side effects after irradiation. Collectively, these results suggest that near-infrared light-responsive TNPs can further enhance antitumor effects by synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy.

DOX-loaded pH-sensitive mesoporous silica nanoparticles coated with PDA and PEG induce pro-death autophagy in breast cancer

The development of multifunctional nano drug delivery carriers has been one of the most effective and prevailing approaches to overcome drug non-selectivity, low cell uptake efficiency and various side effects of traditional chemotherapy drugs.