Development of NIR-II fluorescence image-guided and pH-responsive nanocapsules for cocktail drug delivery

Abstract

Nanocapsule-based targeted delivery and stimulus-responsive release can increase drug effectiveness, while reducing the side effects of the drug. However, difficulties in the scale-up synthesis, fast burst release, and low degradability, could hamper the translation of drug nanocapsules from lab to clinic. Here we have controllably functionalized the biodegradable and widely available polysuccinimide, in order to obtain an amphiphilic poly(amino acid). Using this polymer, we designed nanocapsules (< 100 nm) for hydrophobic drug delivery, which could facilitate tumor targeting, hydrogen bond-based pH-responsive release, and real-time fluorescence tracking, in the second near-infrared region. This method is versatile, eco-friendly, and easy to scale up at low costs. In addition, this system can carry a cocktail of drugs, obtained by loading multiple anticancer drugs to the same vehicle. Our nanocapsules were observed to be stable in blood vessels (pH = 7.4), and the pH-responsive release (pH = 5.0 in lysosome) was sustained. The chemotherapy results in tumor-xenografted mice suggested that our nanocapsule was safe and efficient, and may be a useful tool for drug delivery.

Ultrahigh 19F Loaded Cu1.75S Nanoprobes for Simultaneous 19F Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Photothermal Therapy

“…33,43,44 Briefly, HeLa cells (~5 × 10 4 cells/well) were seeded in a 96-well microtiter plate, and then different amounts of the aforementioned hydrophilic nanocomposites (calculated with C NPs from 0 to 400 μ g/mL) were added and cultured at 37 °C for 24 or 48 h under 5% CO 2 and a 95% relative humidity atmosphere, respectively. Thereafter, 10 μ L of sterile-filtered MTT stock solution in PBS (4.0 mg/mL) was added to each well.…”

Recent Advance in Near‐Infrared (NIR) Imaging Probes for Cancer Theranostics

“…Due to quantum size effects, QDs possess particular optical properties that differ from those of large particles. [46] As a result of these advances, a large number of QDs were developed using solvothermal, thermal decomposition, coprecipitation, and cation exchange methods for NIR II-emission imaging in vivo including Ag 2 S, [47] PbS, [48] Ag 2 Se, [49] PbSe, [50] AgInTe 2 , [51] Ag 2 Te, [52] and PbS@CdS@ZnS ( Figure 4B-E). In 2004, Kumacheva prepared PbS QDs with different sizes in aqueous solutions with the assistance of various stabilizers and observed their tunable NIR II emission, which provided an important tool for biolabeling and bioimaging.…”

Multifunctional Cu1.94S-Bi2S3@polymer nanocomposites for computed tomography imaging guided photothermal ablation

“…Here, the lactam ring in PSI chain is easily opened via aminolysis by OAm to form PSI OAm with a long hydrophobic side-chain [47], and the lactam part also can be readily hydrolyzed to carboxyl group under alkaline condition. Together with its amphiphilic and biodegradable properties, the PSI OAm that has been extensively used for surface functionalization of inorganic nanomaterials and construction of drug delivery nanocapsules [48,49], was employed as a coating agent to fabricate the nanocomposites.…”