A core-shell Au@Cu2-xSe heterogeneous metal nanocomposite for photoacoustic and computed tomography dual-imaging-guided photothermal boosted chemodynamic therapy

Le Zhang; Chunjuan Jiang; Bing Li; Zhengwang Liu; Bingxin Gu; Simin He; Panli Li; Yun Sun; Shaoli Song

doi:10.1186/s12951-021-01159-x

A core-shell Au@Cu_2-xSe heterogeneous metal nanocomposite for photoacoustic and computed tomography dual-imaging-guided photothermal boosted chemodynamic therapy

J Nanobiotechnology. 2021 Dec 7;19(1):410. doi: 10.1186/s12951-021-01159-x.

Authors

Le Zhang^{1

2

3}, Chunjuan Jiang¹, Bing Li^{4

2

3}, Zhengwang Liu^{1

2

3}, Bingxin Gu¹, Simin He¹, Panli Li¹, Yun Sun^{5

6

7

8}, Shaoli Song^{9

10

11}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Center, Fudan University Cancer Hospital, Shanghai, 201321, China.
² Shanghai Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology (20dz2261000), Shanghai, China.
³ Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Proton and Heavy Ion Radiation Therapy, Shanghai, China.
⁴ Department of Research and Development, Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Center, Shanghai, 201321, China.
⁵ Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Center, Fudan University Cancer Hospital, Shanghai, 201321, China. yun.sun@sphic.org.cn.
⁶ Department of Research and Development, Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Center, Shanghai, 201321, China. yun.sun@sphic.org.cn.
⁷ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology (20dz2261000), Shanghai, China. yun.sun@sphic.org.cn.
⁸ Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Proton and Heavy Ion Radiation Therapy, Shanghai, China. yun.sun@sphic.org.cn.
⁹ Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Center, Fudan University Cancer Hospital, Shanghai, 201321, China. shaoli-song@163.com.
¹⁰ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology (20dz2261000), Shanghai, China. shaoli-song@163.com.
¹¹ Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Proton and Heavy Ion Radiation Therapy, Shanghai, China. shaoli-song@163.com.

Abstract

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) has aroused extensive attention for conquering cancers because of its high specificity and low invasiveness. Quick generation of hydroxyl radicals (·OH) during CDT could induce more irreparable damage to cancer cells. The generation rate of ·OH could be magnified via the selection of suitable nanocatalysts or under the assistance of exogenous thermal energy from photothermal therapy (PTT). Here, we construct a kind of monodisperse core-shell Au@Cu_2-xSe heterogeneous metal nanoparticles (NPs) for PTT boosted CDT synergistic therapy. Due to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) coupling effect in the core-shell structure, the photothermal conversion efficiency of Au@Cu_2-xSe NPs is up to 56.6%. The in situ generated heat from photothermal can then accelerate the Fenton-like reaction at Cu⁺ sites to produce abundant ·OH, which will induce apoptotic cell death by attacking DNA, contributing to a heat-boosted CDT. Both in vitro and in vivo results showed that after this synergistic therapy, tumors could be remarkably suppressed. Guided by photoacoustic (PA) and computed tomography (CT) imaging, the therapeutic effects were more specified. Our results revealed that PA and CT dual-imaging-guided PTT boosted CDT synergistic therapy based on core-shell Au@Cu_2-xSe NPs is an effective cancer treatment strategy.

Keywords: Chemodynamic therapy; Core-shell metal nanoparticles; Fenton-like reaction; Photothermal therapy; Tumor imaging.

MeSH terms

Animals
Cell Line, Tumor
Copper / chemistry
Female
Gold / chemistry
HEK293 Cells
Humans
Metal Nanoparticles / chemistry
Mice
Mice, Nude
Nanocomposites / chemistry*
Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging*
Photoacoustic Techniques
Phototherapy
Photothermal Therapy*
Theranostic Nanomedicine / methods*
Tomography, X-Ray Computed*

Substances

Gold
Copper