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

No abstract