One-for-all phototheranostics: Single component AIE dots as multi-modality theranostic agent for fluorescence-photoacoustic imaging-guided synergistic cancer therapy

Haifei Wen; Zhijun Zhang; Miaomiao Kang; Haoxuan Li; Wenhan Xu; Heng Guo; Youmei Li; Yonghong Tan; Ziyao Wen; Qian Wu; Jiachang Huang; Lei Xi; Kai Li; Lei Wang; Dong Wang; Ben Zhong Tang

doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2021.120892

One-for-all phototheranostics: Single component AIE dots as multi-modality theranostic agent for fluorescence-photoacoustic imaging-guided synergistic cancer therapy

Biomaterials. 2021 Jul:274:120892. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2021.120892. Epub 2021 May 11.

Authors

Haifei Wen¹, Zhijun Zhang², Miaomiao Kang³, Haoxuan Li³, Wenhan Xu⁴, Heng Guo⁵, Youmei Li³, Yonghong Tan¹, Ziyao Wen¹, Qian Wu³, Jiachang Huang³, Lei Xi⁵, Kai Li⁵, Lei Wang¹, Dong Wang⁶, Ben Zhong Tang⁷

Affiliations

¹ Center for AIE Research, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Polymer Science and Technology, Guangdong Research Center for Interfacial Engineering of Functional Materials, College of Material Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China.
² Center for AIE Research, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Polymer Science and Technology, Guangdong Research Center for Interfacial Engineering of Functional Materials, College of Material Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China; Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China. Electronic address: zhijunzhang@szu.edu.cn.
³ Center for AIE Research, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Polymer Science and Technology, Guangdong Research Center for Interfacial Engineering of Functional Materials, College of Material Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China; Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China.
⁴ Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, 999077, Hong Kong, China.
⁵ Department of Biomedical Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
⁶ Center for AIE Research, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Polymer Science and Technology, Guangdong Research Center for Interfacial Engineering of Functional Materials, College of Material Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China. Electronic address: wangd@szu.edu.cn.
⁷ Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, 999077, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address: tangbenz@ust.hk.

PMID: 34020267
DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2021.120892

Abstract

Construction of single component theranostic agent with one-for-all features to concurrently afford both multi-modality imaging and therapy is an appealing yet significantly challenging task. Herein, a type of luminogens with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics are tactfully designed and facilely synthesized. These AIE luminogens (AIEgens) exhibit long emission wavelengths, good photostability, remarkable biocompatibility, good reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation performance and excellent photothermal conversion efficiency, which allow them to be powerfully utilized for in vitro and in vivo cancer phototheranostics. The results show that one of the AIEgens is capable of precisely diagnosing solid tumors of mice by means of combined near-infrared-I/II (NIR-I/II) fluorescence-photoacoustic imaging, meanwhile this AIEgen can activate photodynamic and photothermal synergistic therapy (PDT-PTT) upon laser irradiation, resulting in excellent tumor elimination efficacy with only once injection and irradiation. This study thus provides a versatile platform for practical cancer theranostics.

Keywords: Aggregation-induced emission; Molecular structure regulation; Multi-modality phototheranostics; NIR fluorescence imaging.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Mice
Nanoparticles*
Neoplasms* / diagnostic imaging
Neoplasms* / therapy
Photoacoustic Techniques*
Photochemotherapy*
Precision Medicine
Theranostic Nanomedicine