Transarterial
radioembolization (TARE) is a local radionuclide
therapy and is successfully used in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
treatment. Radioactive microspheres have been widely studied for TARE.
Preparation of ideal radioactive microspheres is significant for clinical
research and patient treatment. In this study, we have designed a
novel multifunctional microsphere, i.e., polydopamine (PDA)-coated 177Lu-radiolabeled silica microspheres (MS) denoted as 177Lu-MS@PDA, which can be used for TARE and photothermal therapy
(PTT). The radiostability of 177Lu-MS@PDA was significantly
improved by coating 177Lu-MS with PDA. In addition, the
coating of PDA makes microspheres have excellent photothermal performance.
MicroSPECT/CT images showed that 177Lu-MS@PDA was accurately
embolized and remained in the tumor during the observation time. At
the time, it also showed that 177Lu-MS@PDA was very stable
in vivo. Furthermore, the anti-tumor results demonstrated that TARE
combined with PTT of 177Lu-MS@PDA can significantly inhibit
tumor growth without obvious side effects. 177Lu-MS@PDA
holds great potential as a promising radioactive microsphere for HCC.