The Application of Nanoparticle‐Based Imaging and Phototherapy for Female Reproductive Organs Diseases

Abstract

Various female reproductive disorders affect millions of women worldwide and bring many troubles to women's daily life. Let alone, gynecological cancer (such as ovarian cancer and cervical cancer) is a severe threat to most women's lives. Endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, and other chronic diseases‐induced pain have significantly harmed women's physical and mental health. Despite recent advances in the female reproductive field, the existing challenges are still enormous such as personalization of disease, difficulty in diagnosing early cancers, antibiotic resistance in infectious diseases, etc. To confront such challenges, nanoparticle‐based imaging tools and phototherapies that offer minimally invasive detection and treatment of reproductive tract‐associated pathologies are indispensable and innovative. Of late, several clinical trials have also been conducted using nanoparticles for the early detection of female reproductive tract infections and cancers, targeted drug delivery, and cellular therapeutics. However, these nanoparticle trials are still nascent due to the body's delicate and complex female reproductive system. The present review comprehensively focuses on emerging nanoparticle‐based imaging and phototherapies applications, which hold enormous promise for improved early diagnosis and effective treatments of various female reproductive organ diseases.

Nanotechnologies for the detection and treatment of endometriosis

“…With respect to imaging, although several techniques have been tested for cervical cancers and other reproductive/gynecologic diseases, their application to endometriosis remains to be investigated. Approaches including fluorescence imaging, photoacoustic imaging, computed tomography, and multimodal imaging have great promise to advance the detection and delineation of endometriosis ( Luo et al, 2023a ). Future work incorporating nanoparticles, particularly those targeted to specific biomolecules on endometriotic lesions, as contrast agents could greatly improve diagnostic imaging and staging of the disease.…”

Tumor Cell-Targeting and Tumor Microenvironment–Responsive Nanoplatforms for the Multimodal Imaging-Guided Photodynamic/Photothermal/Chemodynamic Treatment of Cervical Cancer

“…Given that the cervical anatomical structure is connected to that of the vagina, the use of optical therapies for cervical cancer have attracted extensive research attention. 6,7 Phototherapy, or the administration of photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) via near-infrared (NIR) light exposure using photosensitizers (PSs) and photothermal agents, has been used widely in antitumor research. [8][9][10] As a local treatment method, it has the advantages of non-direct invasiveness, low drug resistance, real-time diagnosis, and good tissue selectivity; it enables photosensitive and photothermal material accumulation at irradiation sites without damaging surrounding normal tissues.…”

Application and Method of Surface Plasmon Resonance Technology in the Preparation and Characterization of Biomedical Nanoparticle Materials

“… 1–4 Nanoparticles have been frequently studied for application in various medical setting, including drug delivery, 5 targeted therapy, 6 , 7 imaging enhancement, 8 and early detection of disease. 9 To construct effective nanoparticle systems for biomedical applications, the nanoparticle surface characteristics and the interactions with biological systems need to be thoroughly characterized and tested. To analyze interactions between biomolecules, various methods have been developed.…”