Optical and photoacoustic dual-modality imaging guided synergistic photodynamic/photothermal therapies

Abstract

Phototherapies such as photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT), due to their specific spatiotemporal selectivity and minimal invasiveness, have been widely investigated as alternative treatments of malignant diseases. Graphene and its derivatives not only have been used as carriers to deliver photosensitizers for PDT, but also as photothermal conversion agents (PTCAs) for PTT. Herein, we strategically designed and produced a novel photo-theranostic platform based on sinoporphyrin sodium (DVDMS) photosensitizer-loaded PEGylated graphene oxide (GO-PEG-DVDMS) for enhanced fluorescence/photoacoustic (PA) dual-modal imaging and combined PDT and PTT. The GO-PEG carrier drastically improves the fluorescence of loaded DVDMS via intramolecular charge transfer. Concurrently, DVDMS significantly enhances the near-infrared (NIR) absorption of GO for improved PA imaging and PTT. The cancer theranostic capability of the as-prepared GO-PEG-DVDMS was carefully investigated both in vitro and in vivo. This novel theranostics is well suited for fluorescence/PA dual-modal imaging and synergistic PDT/PTT.

Single Near‐Infrared Emissive Polymer Nanoparticles as Versatile Phototheranostics

“…However, cancer cells rapidly grow and have distorted tumor blood vessels, which all restrict oxygen supply to the tumor site, thus leading to ineffective PDT treatment 7. For this reason, many hyperthermia agents, such as gold‐,8 carbon‐,9 and organic‐10 based nanostructures, have been developed to overcome the limitations of PDT and improve the therapeutic efficiency. These agents are prepared as carriers through encapsulating or conjugating the PDT agents to enable simultaneous PDT and PTT treatment.…”

Optical Imaging, Photodynamic Therapy and Optically Triggered Combination Treatments

“…Concurrently, DVDMS significantly enhances the near-infrared (NIR) absorption of GO for improved PA imaging and photothermal therapy. 91 More complex nanosystems such as the upconversion nanoparticles 92-94 and theranostic multi-compartmental liposomes 5,95,96 (Fig. 8) and porphyrosomes 97,98 offer great promise and are currently being tested for efficacy and toxicity in in vitro and animal models.…”

Are nanotheranostics and nanodiagnostics-guided drug delivery stepping stones towards precision medicine?

“…In another clinical trial evaluating gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) response to Imatinib (Gleevec) treatment, it was found that tumor size solely could not reflect positive responses to the treatment as measured by tumor density CT scans or 18 F-FDG metabolism inPET (Choi et al, 2004). In light of the criticism, theranostics monitoring short-term response have emerged with systems combining a reporter which reacts to immediate anticancer alterations in tumor tissues(Hu et al, 2015;Yuan et al, 2014b;Zhang et al, 2013;Zhang et al, 2011). Zhang et al, developed PEG-coated core-crosslinked polymeric micelles (CCPM) conjugated to annexin A5, a ligand of phosphatidylserine, a phospholipid normally present at the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane; phosphatidylserine is flip-flopped to the outer leaflet during apoptosis(Figure 4).…”

“…These novel studies emphasize the importance of lysosomes destruction in order to evade MDR and improve the treatment outcome as demonstrated in the micelle-based system combining PTT and PDT synergistic effect following lysosomal disruption. The Second system, introduced by Yan et al, contained sinoporphyrin sodium (DVDMS) as a photosensitizer loaded in PEGylated graphene oxide(GO-PEG-DVDMS) and was ~20 nm in size(Yan et al, 2015). The nanocarrier improved the fluorescent signal of the free PS via an intramolecular charge transfer mechanism(Geng et al, 2013).…”