Manipulating ICG J-Aggregation and Disaggregation for Imaging-Guided Cancer Therapy with Self-Reporting Efficiency

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Cancer Therapy

Background:

• J-type aggregates of organic dyes offer photothermal effects for photoacoustic imaging and therapy.
• Limited methods exist for manipulating J-aggregate disaggregation and fluorescence recovery for therapeutic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a micelle-based indocyanine green (ICG) J-aggregate (J-ICG-Micelle) for integrated imaging-guided therapy and real-time therapeutic effect self-reporting.
• To utilize a caspase-3 cleavable peptide for controlled fluorescence recovery and assessment of therapeutic outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Co-assembly of ICG with DSPE-Pep-PEG containing a caspase-3 cleavable peptide (KADEVDAC) to form J-ICG-Micelle.
• Utilizing the red-shifted absorbance of J-ICG-Micelle for photoacoustic imaging-guided delivery and photothermal therapy (PTT).
• Monitoring ICG fluorescence recovery post-cleavage of the peptide by caspase-3 as a self-reported indicator of therapeutic effect.

Main Results:

• J-ICG-Micelle successfully guided delivery and performed PTT using photoacoustic imaging.
• Cleavage of the peptide by caspase-3 led to ICG fluorescence recovery, indicating therapeutic effect.
• Fluorescence recovery intensity correlated with histological analysis (H&E staining) of tumor sections.

Conclusions:

• J-ICG-Micelle enables precise cancer therapy through integrated imaging guidance and real-time therapeutic effect self-reporting.
• The developed system offers a promising platform for advanced clinical applications in cancer treatment.
• Controlled J-aggregate disaggregation and fluorescence recovery are key for monitoring treatment efficacy.