Smart Human Serum Albumin-Indocyanine Green Nanoparticles Generated by Programmed Assembly for Dual-Modal Imaging-Guided Cancer Synergistic Phototherapy

Abstract

Phototherapy, including photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT), is a light-activated local treatment modality that is under intensive preclinical and clinical investigations for cancer. To enhance the treatment efficiency of phototherapy and reduce the light-associated side effects, it is highly desirable to improve drug accumulation and precision guided phototherapy for efficient conversion of the absorbed light energy to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and local hyperthermia. In the present study, a programmed assembly strategy was developed for the preparation of human serum albumin (HSA)-indocyanine green (ICG) nanoparticles (HSA-ICG NPs) by intermolecular disulfide conjugations. This study indicated that HSA-ICG NPs had a high accumulation with tumor-to-normal tissue ratio of 36.12±5.12 at 24 h and a long-term retention with more than 7 days in 4T1 tumor-bearing mice, where the tumor and its margin, normal tissue were clearly identified via ICG-based in vivo near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence and photoacoustic dual-modal imaging and spectrum-resolved technology. Meanwhile, HSA-ICG NPs efficiently induced ROS and local hyperthermia simultaneously for synergetic PDT/PTT treatments under a single NIR laser irradiation. After an intravenous injection of HSA-ICG NPs followed by imaging-guided precision phototherapy (808 nm, 0.8 W/cm2 for 5 min), the tumor was completely suppressed, no tumor recurrence and treatments-induced toxicity were observed. The results suggest that HSA-ICG NPs generated by programmed assembly as smart theranostic nanoplatforms are highly potential for imaging-guided cancer phototherapy with PDT/PTT synergistic effects.

An in vitro and in vivo study of gemcitabine-loaded albumin nanoparticles in a pancreatic cancer cell line

“…8,9 Therefore, a search for novel therapeutic strategies is imperative. Albumin nanoparticles are increasingly being used as drug carriers for effective accumulation within tumor tissues 10,11 via the following two mechanisms: passive targeting via the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect 12 and active targeting via two albumin-binding proteins, 13,14 one is gp60 receptor, which is on the tumor endothelium, 15,16 and the other is a secreted protein, acidic and rich in cysteine, an albumin "sticker" enriched in the tumor interstitium. 17,18 Compared with artificial materials, albumin is nontoxic, biocompatible, biodegradable, and reproduced in the human body.…”

pH-sensitive Au–BSA–DOX–FA nanocomposites for combined CT imaging and targeted drug delivery

“…Nanomedicine provides an unprecedented opportunity to improve significantly the way in which many diseases are treated, 1 in part because of the rapid development of nanomaterials. Among well-known nanomaterials, gold nanoparticles (GNPs) have gained considerable attention owing to their excellent biocompatibility, 2 inert reactivity, good photostability, facile synthesis, non-cytotoxicity 3 and solubility.…”

Triple-functional albumin-based nanoparticles for combined chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy of pancreatic cancer with lymphatic metastases

“…35,36 In addition, its unique structure makes it easy to conjugate with both hydrophobic and hydrophilic materials. 37 Therefore, we wonder if we could use albumin as drug carrier, on the other hand, by conjugating with P@ and generating NPs to increase water solubility as well as controlled release character, thus achieving imaging-guided combined PDT and chemotherapy effect.…”