Ratiometric Photoacoustic Imaging Probe for Self-Predicting Nanozyme Therapeutic Effects

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Chemical Biology

Background:

• Nanozymes show promise for cancer treatment due to their enzyme-like properties.
• Effective in situ evaluation of nanozyme catalytic activity in living systems is a significant challenge.
• Current methods lack real-time feedback on nanozyme performance during therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel probe for self-reporting nanozyme catalytic activity in situ.
• To enable real-time monitoring of hydroxyl radical production during nanozyme-based cancer therapy.
• To provide a tool for predicting the efficacy of nanozyme anticancer treatments.

Main Methods:

• Integration of a diene electrochromic material (EM 1) with a copper single-atom nanozyme (FCuSA) with peroxidase-like activity.
• Design of a ratiometric photoacoustic (PA) imaging system utilizing dual wavelengths (808 nm and 1064 nm).
• Utilizing the change in PA signal ratio (PA808/PA1064) to quantify hydroxyl radical generation.

Main Results:

• The 1-FCuSA probe exhibits a low initial PA ratio (PA808/PA1064).
• Upon reaction with hydroxyl radicals, the PA signal at 808 nm increases significantly while the 1064 nm signal remains stable.
• This leads to a clear increase in the PA ratio, accurately reflecting nanozyme catalytic activity and •OH production.

Conclusions:

• 1-FCuSA enables self-reporting of nanozyme catalytic activity through ratiometric PA imaging.
• The probe facilitates in vivo tumor treatment and real-time monitoring of catalytic efficiency.
• This approach offers new insights for early prediction of anticancer efficacy and guides nanozyme applications.