Multifunctional Ferritin Nanoparticles as Theranostics for Imaging-Guided Tumor Phototherapy

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Cancer Therapy

Background:

• Ferritin nanocages (Fn) offer pH-responsive self-assembly for drug delivery.
• Targeted drug delivery systems are crucial for enhancing therapeutic efficacy and reducing side effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct a genetically engineered, targeted ferritin nanocage (TFn) modified with CGKRK peptides.
• To develop a theranostic nanoparticle system for tumor imaging and synergistic therapy.

Main Methods:

• Genetic engineering to create CGKRK peptide-modified ferritin nanocages (TFn).
• Loading of a near-infrared (NIR)-absorbing organic agent (556-Ph) into TFn.
• Evaluation of TFn's targeting ability, pH-dependent properties, and theranostic performance.

Main Results:

• TFn demonstrated efficient targeting of tumor angiogenic blood vessels and cells via the CGKRK peptide.
• The TFn@556-Ph nanoparticles exhibited pH-dependent depolymerization and self-assembly.
• The developed theranostic nanoparticles enabled precise tumor localization, imaging, and synergistic photothermal/photodynamic therapy.

Conclusions:

• The CGKRK-modified ferritin nanocage is a promising platform for targeted drug delivery and theranostics.
• TFn@556-Ph nanoparticles facilitate imaging-guided synergistic therapy for precise tumor treatment.