pH-Triggered Poly(ethylene glycol)–Poly(lactic acid/glycolic acid)/Croconaine Nanoparticles-Assisted Multiplexed Photoacoustic Imaging and Enhanced Photothermal Cancer Therapy

Abstract

The most advantageous and attractive property of photoacoustic imaging is its capability to visualize and differentiate multiple species according to their unique absorbance profiles simultaneously in a single mixture. We here report the pH-sensitive near-infrared (NIR) croconaine (Croc) dyes-loaded copolymeric PEG−PLGA nanoparticles (NPs) for in vivo multiplexed PA imaging and pH-responsive photothermal therapy (PTT) in an orthotopic xenograft model. PEG chains on the polymeric NPs shell were conjugated with iRGD in another set of NPs to realize efficient tumor targeting. The distribution and the intensity of two sets of iRGD-targeted and nontargeted NPs inside tumors are simultaneously imaged and monitored in vivo. Meanwhile, the utilization of iRGD-targeted PPC 815 NPs as a pH-active photothermal agent with promising tumor-inhibition efficacy was demonstrated. As a result, this nanoplatform is capable of assisting multiwavelength unmixing of PA imaging as well as providing remarkable photothermal ablation for anticancer treatment.

MSOT-Guided Nanotheranostics for Synergistic Mild Photothermal Therapy and Chemotherapy to Boost Necroptosis/Apoptosis

“…To achieve the synergistic PTT and chemotherapy, MAL-PEG-PLGA@AuNC/EGCG was obtained by encapsulating Dod@AuNCs and EGCG into the MAL-PEG-PLGA polymer using the nanoprecipitation method . HS-iRGD peptides were attached to the surface of NPs by the melamine–thiol interaction to obtain the targeted iRGD-PEG-PLGA@AuNC/EGCG (PAuE) . The control NPs, including non-targeting cysteine-modified Mal-PEG-PLGA-encapsulated AuNC and EGCG (CAuE), iRGD-modified Mal-PEG-PLGA-encapsulated AuNCs (PAu), iRGD-modified Mal-PEG-PLGA-encapsulated EGCG (PE), and Mal-PEG-PLGA NPs (BP), were also prepared.…”

Targeted contrast agents and activatable probes for photoacoustic imaging of cancer

“…333 Due to its central role in cancer development, the tumor pH is an important biomarker in cancer that has been exploited for targeted drug delivery and imaging, 339–341 as well as the development of many activatable PA probes. 342–371 Here we highlight some recent examples.…”

Current Strategies of Photoacoustic Imaging Assisted Cancer Theragnostics toward Clinical Studies

“…The typical FDA-approved chromophores for clinical use are ICG and methylene blue: both are strong PA contrast agents. ,, Advanced nanotechnology for exogenous agents offers high contrast and stable signals in biomedical imaging. One of the most exciting and rapidly developed parts is that they can be covalently bound to various targeting ligands to reach the tumor site.…”