NIR-Mediated drug release and tumor theranostics using melanin-loaded liposomes

Abstract

Background Heat generation in a drug delivery carrier by exposure to near-infrared (NIR) light with excellent tissue transmittance is an effective strategy for drug release and tumor therapy. Because liposomes have amphiphilic properties, they are useful as drug carriers. Liposomes are also very suitable for drug delivery strategies using heat generation by NIR laser because lipid bilayers are easily broken by heat. Thermally generated bubbles from liposomes not only induce drug release, but also enable ultrasound imaging. Methods Melanin, perfluorohexane (PFH), and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-loaded liposomes (melanin@PFH@5-FU-liposomes) that can generate heat and bubble by NIR laser irradiation were prepared by a thin film method. Conversion of light to heat and bubble generation of melanin@PFH@5-FU-liposomes were evaluated using an infrared (IR) thermal imaging camera and an ultrasound imaging system both in vitro and in vivo. To investigate tumor therapeutic effect, NIR laser of 808 nm was used to irradiate tumor site for 10 min after injecting melanin@PFH@5-FU-liposome into tail veins of CT26-bearing mice. Results Melanin@PFH@5-FU-liposomes showed a spherical shape with a size of 209.6 ± 4.3 nm. Upon NIR laser irradiation, melanin@PFH@5-FU-liposomes exhibited effective temperature increase both in vitro and in vivo. In this regard, temperature increase caused a phase transition of PFH to induce bubble generation dramatically, resulting in effective drug release behavior and ultrasound imaging. The temperature of the tumor site was increased to 52 t and contrast was greatly enhanced during ultrasound imaging due to the generation of bubble. More importantly, tumor growth was effectively inhibited by injection of melanin@PFH@5-FU-liposomes with laser irradiation. Conclusions Based on intrinsic photothermal properties of melanin and phase transition properties of PFH, melanin@PFH@5-FU-liposomes exhibited effective heat and bubble generation upon NIR laser irradiation. The elevated temperature induced bubble generation, resulting in contrast enhancement of ultrasound imaging. Melanin@PFH@5-FU-liposomes under NIR laser irradiation induced the death of cancer cells, thereby effectively inhibiting tumor growth. These results suggest that melanin@PFH@5-FU-liposomes can be utilized as a promising agent for photothermal tumor therapy and ultrasound imaging.

Current Trends in Nanotheranostics: A Concise Review on Bioimaging and Smart Wearable Technology

“…It is seen that the NIR-II irradiation also triggers ROS generation in the biological tissue, which is an intriguing approach to employing NIR-II-based therapeutic activation and imaging. Despite the ease of operability of ultrasound imaging in observing SDT activity 40 , the technique primarily suffers from low resolution and interference from surrounding tissues (Figure 2 B and 2 C). Technological advancements such as bio adhesive ultrasound are intriguing approach for on-body continuous organ monitoring 45 .…”

“…(B) IR thermal images showing Melanin, Perfluorohexane (PFH) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) loaded liposomes (melanin@PFH@5-FU-liposomes) generating heat upon NIR 808 nm light. (C) Ultrasound images of tumor tissues in CT26-bearing mice before and after laser irradiation at 1 h, 4 h, and 12 h after intravenous injection of melanin@PFH@5-FU-liposomes 40 . Copyright 2022, Springer Nature.…”

“…This method was tested on several animal models for chronic stimulation that can reverse the onset of hyperglycemia by targeting the liver-brain pathway [39]. Ultrasound irradiation causes the production of cavitation-based microbubbles in the biological environment which is explored in ultrasound-assisted bond cleavage for releasing drugs from liposomes [40] and inorganic nanoparticles [41]. Various sonosensitizers producing reactive oxygen species in an aqueous environment have been employed to treat cancer [42].…”

Perfluorocarbons: A perspective of theranostic applications and challenges

“…designed prepared based on a thin film method and utilizing Melanin, perfluorohexane (PFH), and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)loaded liposomes (melanin@PFH@5-FU-liposomes). The result indicated that tumor growth was virtually inhibited by the injection of melanin@PFH@5-FU-liposomes with laser irradiation (Kim and Lee, 2022). PFC nanoemulsions are utilized in both liquid NPs and gas bubble forms.…”

Laser-activatable oxygen self-supplying nanoplatform for efficiently overcoming colorectal cancer resistance by enhanced ferroptosis and alleviated hypoxic microenvironment

“…Light stimuli-responsive remote control is a method for manipulating specific events, processes, or functionalities within a biological system. It offers non-invasiveness, controllability, non-toxicity, and high spatiotemporal resolution [ 9 – 11 ]. We meticulously engineered the C820 nanoparticles as a chemo-photothermal nanoplatform, incorporating cisplatin (CDDP), linoleic acid (LA), and the photothermal agent IR820.…”