"Wax‐Sealed" Theranostic Nanoplatform for Enhanced Afterglow Imaging–Guided Photothermally Triggered Photodynamic Therapy. (3rd September 2018) - Liu, Gongyuan
Abstract: Herein, persistent luminescence nanoparticles (PLNPs) and photosensitizer are integrated for cancer theranostics with high specificity and without the need of continuous illumination. Specifically, ZnGa1.996 O4 :Cr0.004 (PLNPs) and IR780 (photosensitizer) are encapsulated by a temperature‐responsive "wax‐seal" composed of oleic acid and hexadecanol. The seal prevents luminescence quenching and premature initiation of photodynamic therapy (PDT), until it is melted down by heat stimulus. After photothermal activation, the near‐infrared afterglow offered by PLNPs provides imaging with high signal‐to‐background ratio because of the absence of tissue autofluorescence, as well as continuously excited photosensitizer for reactive oxygen species generation. Such theranostic nanoplatform offers multimodal imaging–guided localized cancer PDT. Abstract : An integrated "wax‐sealed" theranostic nanoplatform is designed for enhanced afterglow imaging and multiple imaging–guided photothermal‐triggered photodynamic therapy. In vitro and in vivo studies reveal that the wax‐seal design effectively enhances the afterglow imaging and further integrates persistent luminescence nanoparticles into a photothermally controlled persistent photodynamic therapy strategy, which shows significant cancer theranostic efficacy with highly reduced skin photosensitization damage.