One-pot synthesis of PEGylated plasmonic MoO3–x hollow nanospheres for photoacoustic imaging guided chemo-photothermal combinational therapy of cancer

• Published in: Biomaterials Vol. 76; pp. 11 - 24
• Main Authors: Bao, Tao, Yin, Wenyan, Zheng, Xiaopeng, Zhang, Xiao, Yu, Jie, Dong, Xinghua, Yong, Yuan, Gao, Fuping, Yan, Liang, Gu, Zhanjun, Zhao, Yuliang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2016
• Subjects: absorption; Advanced Basic Science; biocompatibility; Cancer; Chemotherapy; Dentistry; drug carriers; Drug delivery; Drug delivery systems; drug therapy; drugs; engineering; ethylene glycol; Hollow nanospheres; hypoxia; image analysis; Imaging; irradiation; Lasers; mice; molybdenum; Molybdenum oxides; nanomedicine; nanospheres; Nanostructure; neoplasm cells; neoplasms; One-pot; Plasmonics; polyethylene glycol; porous media; surface plasmon resonance; synthesis; Theranostics; Therapy; One-pot; Drug delivery; Theranostics; Molybdenum oxides; Hollow nanospheres
• ISSN: 0142-9612; 1878-5905
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2015.10.048

Engineering design of plasmonic nanomaterials as on-demand theranostic nanoagents with imaging, drug carrier, and photothermal therapy (PTT) functions have profound impact on treatment of cancer. Here, a facile ‘one-pot’ template-free hydrothermal route was firstly developed for synthesis of plasmonic oxygen deficiency molybdenum oxide hollow nanospheres functionalized by poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-MoO3–x HNSs). The as-prepared PEG-MoO3–x HNSs not only have good biocompatibility but also exhibit obvious localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) absorption in the near-infrared (NIR) region. Especially, due to its intrinsic mesoporous properties and effective photothermal conversion efficiency upon 808-nm NIR laser irradiation, the PEG-MoO3–x HNSs can be applied as a pH/NIR laser dual-responsive camptothecin (CPT) drug delivery nanoplatform for chemotherapy as well as PTT to cancer cells. A remarkably improved synergistic therapeutic effect to pancreatic (PANC-1) tumor-bearing mice was obtained compared to the result of chemotherapy or PTT alone. Apart from its application for drug delivery, the PEG-MoO3–x HNSs can also be employed as an effective contrast nanoagent for photoacoustic (PAT) imaging because of its high NIR absorption, making it promising as a theranostic nanoagent for PAT imaging-guided chemo-photothermal combinational cancer therapy in the nanomedicine field. Plasmonic PEGylated MoO3–x hollow nanospheres (HNSs) with sub-100 nm were engineering designed by a facile one-pot hydrothermal process as an effective camptothecin (CPT) drug nanocarrier and a near-infrared (NIR) photothermal nanoagent for synergetic chemo-photothermal therapy based on the mesoporous structure and the high NIR phothothermal conversion efficiency. The PEG-MoO3–x HNSs has proven to be a promising candidate as a novel, single theranostic nanoagent for photoacoustic (PAT) imaging-guided chemo-photothermal therapy of cancer. [Display omitted]