Enhancing Photothermal Therapy Efficacy by In Situ Self-Assembly in Glioma

Abstract

The residence time of some small molecular imaging and therapeutic agents in tumor tissue is short and the molecules can be easily dispersed, which decreases treatment efficacy. Therefore, methods that enhance oncotherapy performance are of significant importance. Here, we report an in situ self-assembly strategy aimed at enhancing the photothermal therapy of glioblastomas. The probe, ICG-PEP-c(RGD)fk, consisted of a glutathione-reactive self-assembling polypeptide as the skeleton, indocyanine green (ICG) as a theranostic agent, and cyclic Arg-Gly-Asp [c(RGD)fk] peptides as the targeting group. ICG-PEP-c(RGD)fk was synthesized and found to be assembled in the glutathione environment at 9.446 μM in vitro. Human glioblastoma cell line U87MG-luc with high integrin α v β 3 expression was applied to invivo experiments. ICG-PEP-c(RGD)fk provided clearer tumor imaging and had a tumor retention time of 6.12 times longer than that of ICG-c(RGD)fk. In therapeutic experiments, ICG-PEP-c(RGD)fk significantly suppressed glioblastoma growth and the tumor volume was 2.61 times smaller than in the ICG-c(RGD)fk group at the end of the observation period. Moreover, the median survival time of ICG-PEP-c(RGD)fk group was significantly improved by 2.78 times compared with that of the control group. In conclusion, glutathione-reactive self-assembling peptides are capable of increasing the tumor retention time and improving the photothermal therapeutic effect. The in situ self-assembly strategy is a potential and feasible method to enhance oncotherapy.

Indocyanine Green‐Glycogen Conjugates for Near‐Infrared‐Triggered Photothermal Cancer Therapy

“…This result is in good agreement with previous literature that demonstrated an improved stability of ICG when incorporated into nanoparticles. [44] To evaluate the potential of ICG-glycogen conjugates for photothermal therapy, we further examined the photothermal effect of ICG-containing materials including free ICG-amine and ICGglycogen conjugates (Figure 6). Based on the temperature elevation profile, free ICG-amine showed a concentration-dependent photothermal effect under NIR light illumination (Figure 6B).…”

Theranostic Fluorescent Probes

“…To increase the retention time of the therapeutic drug at the tumor site, Lan et al reported an in situ self-assembly strategy aimed at enhancing the PTT of glioblastomas . The probe (ICG-PEP-c­(RGD)­fk) was constructed by GSH-reactive self-assembling polypeptides as the skeleton, coupled to indocyanine green (ICG) as a theranostic agent and cyclic Arg-Gly-Asp [c­(RGD)­fk] peptides as the targeting groups.…”

Controlling supramolecular copolymerization of alkynylplatinum(ii) terpyridine complexes: from isodesmic to cooperative mechanisms

“…Consequently, the design of the building blocks emerges as a pivotal factor for realizing desired supramolecular polymers with potential applications in material science and supramolecular chemistry. [44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55] Platinum(II) complexes with tridentate p-acceptor ligands are recognized for their outstanding spectroscopic properties and a strong propensity to form supramolecular architectures through Pt/Pt and p-p interactions, both in solid and solution states, due to their square-planar conguration. [56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73] This has led to signicant interest in supramolecular structures based on Pt(II) complexes, driven by their inherently fascinating physical properties and the diverse morphologies of self-assembled structures.…”

“…Consequently, the design of the building blocks emerges as a pivotal factor for realizing desired supramolecular polymers with potential applications in material science and supramolecular chemistry. 44–55…”