Photothermal therapy, a type of laser application, has the ability to eradicate tumor cells by a local thermal effect and elicit a tumor specific immune response. Indocyanine green (ICG), a photosensitizer, can effectively elevate the local temperature by absorbing energy from the laser. The present study aimed to investigate the characteristics of temperature changes during photothermal therapy with an infrared thermometer in an ICG solution and in tumor-bearing mice treated with a combination of laser and ICG. Additionally, the present study observed the morphological changes of tumor tissue by hematoxylin-eosin staining following photothermal therapy. In the solution experiment, when the laser power density was 1 W/cm2 and the concentration of ICG was 0 or 0.0187 mg/ml, the temperature of the water was elevated by 3 and 28°C, respectively. In the tumor-bearing mice experiment, when the laser power density was 1 W/cm2 and the concentration of ICG was 0 and 0.1 mg/ml, the temperature of the tumor-bearing mice was elevated by 6.9 and 28.5°C, respectively. With an increase in laser power density, including 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 W/cm2, the temperature was 23.3, 26.7 and 28.5°C, respectively. Pathological tissue sections demonstrated that a large number of tumor cells experienced necrosis, and the envelope of the tumor was destroyed. Numerous inflammatory cells, in particular lymphocytes, infiltrated into the tumor tissue following tumor tissue treatment with a combination of laser and ICG. These results indicated that a combination treatment with laser and ICG may significantly increase the temperature of the water solutions and in the tumor-bearing mice. The concentration of ICG and laser power density contributed to the temperature elevation, in particular to the concentration of ICG.
Keywords: indocyanine green; laser; photothermal therapy; temperature change.