Ultrasmall Ag₂Te Quantum Dots with Rapid Clearance for Amplified Computed Tomography Imaging and Augmented Photonic...

With the fast development of nanomedicine, the imaging-guided and photo-induced cancer monotherapies can efficiently eliminate tumor lesions, which are strongly dependent on the construction of versatile theranostic nanoplatforms. Among diverse photo-converting nanoplatforms, silver chalcogenide nanoparticles feature high biocompatibility, narrow band gaps, and tunable optical properties, yet Ag₂Te-based nanosystems are still at a proof-of-concept stage, and the exploration of Ag₂Te-based nanosystems suitable for photonic tumor hyperthermia is challenging. Herein, we report on the construction of versatile ultrasmall Ag₂Te quantum dots (QDs) via a facile biomineralization strategy. Especially, these Ag₂Te QDs with negligible toxicity and excellent biocompatibility were developed for X-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging-guided photonic tumor hyperthermia by near-infrared (NIR) activation. The fabricated Ag₂Te QDs exhibited a high tumor suppression rate (94.3%) on 4T1 breast tumor animal models due to the high photothermal-conversion efficiency (50.5%). Mechanistically, Ag₂Te QDs were promising potential CT imaging agents for imaging guidance and monitoring during photonic hyperthermia. Importantly, Ag₂Te QDs were rapidly eliminated from the body via feces and urine because of their ultrasmall sizes. This work not only broadens the biomedical applications of silver chalcogenide-based theranostic nanosystems but also provides the paradigm of theranostic nanosystems with a photonic tumor hyperthermia effect and outstanding contrast enhancement of high-performance CT imaging.