Surfactant-Stripped Semiconducting Polymer Micelles for Tumor Theranostics and Deep Tissue Imaging in the NIR-II Window

Yuanmeng Ding; Byullee Park; Jiamin Ye; Xiaojie Wang; Gengqi Liu; Xingyue Yang; Zhen Jiang; Moongyu Han; Yong Fan; Jibin Song; Chulhong Kim; Yumiao Zhang

doi:10.1002/smll.202104132

Surfactant-Stripped Semiconducting Polymer Micelles for Tumor Theranostics and Deep Tissue Imaging in the NIR-II Window

Small. 2022 Feb;18(6):e2104132. doi: 10.1002/smll.202104132. Epub 2021 Dec 1.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, China.
² Department of Electrical Engineering, Convergence IT Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, 37673, Korea.
³ College of Chemistry, MOE key Laboratory for Analytical Science of Food Safety and Biology Institution, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, China.
⁴ Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymer and IChem, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Fudan University, Fudan, 200433, China.

PMID: 34850550
DOI: 10.1002/smll.202104132

Abstract

Photoacoustic imaging (PA) in the second near infrared (NIR-II) window presents key advantages for deep tissue imaging owing to reduced light scattering and low background signal from biological structures. Here, a thiadiazoloquinoxaline-based semiconducting polymer (SP) with strong absorption in the NIR-II region is reported. After encapsulation of SP in Pluronic F127 (F127) followed by removal of excess surfactant, a dual functional polymer system named surfactant-stripped semiconductor polymeric micelles (SSS-micelles) are generated with water solubility, storage stability, and high photothermal conversion efficiency, permitting tumor theranostics in a mouse model. SSS-micelles have a wideband absorption in the NIR-II window, allowing for the PA imaging at both 1064 and 1300 nm wavelengths. The PA signal of the SSS-micelles can be detected through 6.5 cm of chicken breast tissue in vitro. In mice or rats, SSS-micelles can be visualized in bladder and intestine overlaid 5 cm (signal to noise ratio, SNR ≈ 17 dB) and 5.8 cm (SNR over 10 dB) chicken breast tissue, respectively. This work demonstrates the SSS-micelles as a nanoplatform for deep tissue theranostics.

Keywords: deep tissue imaging; photoacoustic imaging; second near infrared window; semiconducting polymers; surfactant-stripped micelles.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Animals
Mice
Micelles
Nanoparticles* / chemistry
Neoplasms* / diagnostic imaging
Neoplasms* / therapy
Photoacoustic Techniques* / methods
Phototherapy
Polymers / chemistry
Precision Medicine
Rats
Surface-Active Agents / chemistry

Substances

Micelles
Polymers
Surface-Active Agents