Endogenous-Activatable Nanotheranostic Platform for Multimodal Bioimaging-Guided Photodynamic and Gas Synergistic...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Oncology

Background:

• Developing advanced theranostic platforms is crucial for precise cancer diagnosis and treatment.
• Existing strategies often lack multimodal imaging capabilities and synergistic therapeutic approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a multifunctional nanotheranostic platform (DALMS) for endogenous-activatable, multimodal bioimaging-guided synergistic cancer therapy.
• To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic efficacy of the DALMS platform in cancer models.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of the DALMS platform using gold nanoclusters (AuNCs), l-Arginine (l-Arg), dendritic macroporous silica nanoparticles (DSiO2), MnO2 nanosheets, and Sgc8 aptamers.
• Utilized Sgc8 aptamers for precise cancer cell targeting and glutathione (GSH) responsiveness for controlled drug release.
• Evaluated multimodal bioimaging (two-photon fluorescence, fluorescence lifetime imaging, MRI) and synergistic therapy (photodynamic therapy and nitric oxide gas therapy).

Main Results:

• DALMS demonstrated precise cancer cell targeting and efficient drug release in response to the tumor microenvironment (TME).
• Achieved efficient two-photon near-infrared fluorescence imaging up to 320 μm penetration depth, fluorescence lifetime imaging, and sensitive MRI for cancer diagnosis.
• Synergistic photodynamic therapy (PDT) and nitric oxide (NO) gas therapy resulted in a 96.09% tumor inhibition rate and a 13.8% survival rate.

Conclusions:

• The DALMS platform offers a promising strategy for multimodal bioimaging-guided synergistic cancer therapy.
• The developed nanotheranostic platform significantly enhances antitumor effects, providing a new approach for precise cancer diagnosis and treatment.