Tumor microenvironment-mediated NIR-I-to-NIR-II transformation of Au self-assembly for theranostics

Mengxin Wang; Xue Zhang; Qian Chang; Haifeng Zhang; Zhenbo Zhang; Kailin Li; Hui Liu; Donglin Liu; Lu An; Qiwei Tian

doi:10.1016/j.actbio.2023.07.016

Tumor microenvironment-mediated NIR-I-to-NIR-II transformation of Au self-assembly for theranostics

Acta Biomater. 2023 Sep 15:168:606-616. doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2023.07.016. Epub 2023 Jul 19.

Authors

Mengxin Wang¹, Xue Zhang¹, Qian Chang¹, Haifeng Zhang¹, Zhenbo Zhang², Kailin Li¹, Hui Liu¹, Donglin Liu¹, Lu An³, Qiwei Tian⁴

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Municipal Education Committee Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging Probes and Sensors, The Key Laboratory of Resource Chemistry of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Functional Materials, International Joint Laboratory of Resource Chemistry, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China.
² Reproductive Medicine Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200065, China. Electronic address: zhangzhenbozzb@aliyun.com.
³ Shanghai Municipal Education Committee Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging Probes and Sensors, The Key Laboratory of Resource Chemistry of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Functional Materials, International Joint Laboratory of Resource Chemistry, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China. Electronic address: anlu1987@shnu.edu.cn.
⁴ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Jiading District Central Hospital Affiliated Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai 201318, China. Electronic address: tianqw@sumhs.edu.cn.

PMID: 37479157
DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2023.07.016

Abstract

The misdiagnosis of tumors due to insufficient penetration depth or signal interference and damage to normal tissues due to indiscriminate treatment are the biggest challenges in using photothermal agents for clinical translation. To overcome these limitations, a strategy of switching from the near-infrared (NIR)-I region to the NIR-II region was developed based on tumor microenvironment (TME)-mediated gold (Au) self-assembly. Using zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) metal-organic framework-coated gold nanorods (AuNRs@ZIF-8) as a model photothermal agent, we demonstrated that only a NIR-I photoacoustic imaging signal was observed in normal tissue because ZIF-8 could prevent the aggregation of AuNRs. However, when ZIF-8 dissociated in the TME, the AuNRs aggregated to activate NIR-II photoacoustic imaging and attenuate the NIR-I signal, thereby allowing an accurate diagnosis of tumors based on signal transformation. Notably, TME-activated NIR-II photothermal therapy could also inhibit tumor growth. Therefore, this TME-activated NIR-I-to-NIR-II switching strategy could improve the accuracy of deep-tumor diagnoses and avoid the injury caused by undifferentiated treatment. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Photothermal agents used for photoacoustic imaging and photothermal therapy have garnered great attention for tumor theranostics. However, always "turned on" near-infrared (NIR)-I laser (700-1000 nm)-responsive photothermal agents face issues of penetration depth and damage to normal tissues. In contrast, tumor microenvironment-activated NIR-II "smart" photothermal agents exhibit deeper penetration depth and tumor selectivity. Therefore, a NIR-I-to-NIR-II switching strategy was developed based on tumor microenvironment-mediated Au self-assembly. This work provides a new strategy for developing tumor microenvironment-activated NIR-II smart photothermal agents.

Keywords: Gold nanorods; Near-II; Photoacoustic imaging; Photothermal therapy; Tumor microenvironment.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Cell Line, Tumor
Gold / pharmacology
Gold / therapeutic use
Humans
Light
Nanoparticles* / therapeutic use
Neoplasms* / pathology
Phototherapy / methods
Precision Medicine
Theranostic Nanomedicine / methods
Tumor Microenvironment

Substances

Gold