A continuous stimuli-responsive system for NIR-II fluorescence/photoacoustic imaging guided photothermal/gas synergistic therapy

• Published in: Nanoscale Vol. 12; no. 21; pp. 11562 - 11572
• Main Authors: Zheng, Ziliang, Chen, Qi, Dai, Rong, Jia, Zhuo, Yang, Chenhua, Peng, Xiaoyang, Zhang, Ruiping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Royal Society of Chemistry 04.06.2020
• Subjects: Accumulation; Allyl Compounds - chemistry; Allyl Compounds - therapeutic use; Anticancer properties; Azides - chemistry; Azides - therapeutic use; Bismuth - chemistry; Bismuth - therapeutic use; Cancer; Fluorescence; Gases - therapeutic use; Glutathione; Hydrogen sulfide; Hydrogen Sulfide - chemistry; Hydrogen Sulfide - therapeutic use; Infrared spectroscopy; Medical imaging; Nanoparticles; Nanoparticles - chemistry; Nanoparticles - therapeutic use; Near infrared radiation; Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Neoplasms - drug therapy; Optical Imaging; Oxidation-Reduction; Photoacoustic Techniques; Photochemotherapy - instrumentation; Photochemotherapy - methods; Silver Compounds - chemistry; Silver Compounds - therapeutic use; Sulfides - chemistry; Sulfides - therapeutic use; Theranostic Nanomedicine; Therapy; Thermogravimetric analysis; Tumor Microenvironment; Tumors; X ray photoelectron spectroscopy
• ISSN: 2040-3364; 2040-3372
• DOI: 10.1039/d0nr02543g

Nanosystems responsive to a tumor microenvironment (TME) have recently attracted great attention due to their potential in precision cancer theranostics. However, theranostic nanosystems with a TME-activated consecutive cascade for the accurate diagnosis and treatment of cancer have rarely been exploited. Herein, an activatable theranostic nanosystem (Bi 2 S 3 -Ag 2 S-DATS@BSA-N 3 NYs) is designed and constructed on the basis of a one-pot biomineralization method and surface functional modification to improve second near-infrared (NIR-II) fluorescence/photoacoustic (PA) imaging-guided photothermal therapy (PTT)/gas therapy (GT). Based on enhanced penetration and retention (EPR) effect-mediated tumor accumulation, the tumor-overexpressed glutathione (GSH) can accelerate hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) generation from the nanoparticles by reacting with the encapsulated diallyl trisulfide (DATS). Meanwhile, the in situ released H 2 S can be used not only for gas therapy, but also to start the reduction of -N 3 (−) to -NH 2 (+), thereby enhancing the tumor-specific aggregation of NYs. As a result, the activatable nanosystems with excellent tumor accumulation and biodistribution could achieve an accurate NIR-II/PA dual-modality imaging for guiding the synergistic anticancer efficacy (PTT/GT). Thus, this work provides a promising TME-mediated continuously responsive strategy for efficient anticancer therapy. A step-by-step stimuli-response nanosystem that could be specifically activated by a "multistage rocket-like" process to improve its NIR-II/PA signals for imaging-guided photothermal/gas synergistic therapy.