Department of Emergency Medicine and Critical Care, Shanghai East Hospital, Tong Ji University, Shanghai 200120, People's Republic of China.
Nanoscale Horiz. 2019 Mar 1;4(2):415-425. doi: 10.1039/c8nh00299a. Epub 2018 Oct 29.
Light-activated photoacoustic imaging (PAI) and photothermal therapy (PTT) using the second near-infrared biowindow (NIR-II, 1000-1350 nm) hold great promise for efficient tumor detection and diagnostic imaging-guided photonic nanomedicine. In this work, we report on the construction of titanium nitride (TiN) nanoparticles, with a high photothermal-conversion efficiency and desirable biocompatibility, as an alternative theranostic agent for NIR-II laser-excited photoacoustic (PA) imaging-guided photothermal tumor hyperthermia. Working within the NIR-II biowindow provides a larger maximum permissible exposure (MPE) and desirable penetration depth of the light, which then allows detection of the tumor to the full extent using PA imaging and complete tumor ablation using photothermal ablation, especially in deeper regions. After further surface polyvinyl-pyrrolidone (PVP) modification, the TiN-PVP photothermal nanoagents exhibited a high photothermal conversion efficiency of 22.8% in the NIR-II biowindow, and we further verified their high penetration depth using the NIR-II biowindow and their corresponding therapeutic effect on the viability of tumor cells in vitro. Furthermore, these TiN-PVP nanoparticles were developed as a contrast agent for NIR-II-activated PA imaging both in vitro and in vivo for the first time and realized efficient photothermal ablation of the tumor in vivo within both the NIR-I and NIR-II biowindows. This work not only provides a paradigm for TiN-PVP photothermal nanoagents working in the NIR-II biowindow both in vitro and in vivo, but also proves the feasibility of PAI and PTT cancer theranostics using NIR-II laser excitation.
基于近红外二区（NIR-II，1000-1350nm）的光激活光声成像（PAI）和光热治疗（PTT）在高效肿瘤检测和诊断成像引导光学生物医学方面具有广阔的应用前景。在这项工作中，我们报告了氮化钛（TiN）纳米颗粒的构建，其具有高光热转换效率和理想的生物相容性，可用作替代治疗剂，用于 NIR-II 激光激发的光声（PA）成像引导光热肿瘤高热治疗。在 NIR-II 生物窗口内工作提供了更大的最大允许暴露量（MPE）和理想的光穿透深度，然后可以使用 PA 成像充分检测肿瘤，并使用光热消融完全消融肿瘤，尤其是在更深的区域。经过进一步的表面聚乙烯吡咯烷酮（PVP）修饰后，TiN-PVP 光热纳米制剂在 NIR-II 生物窗口中表现出 22.8%的高光热转换效率，我们还进一步使用 NIR-II 生物窗口验证了它们的高穿透深度及其对体外肿瘤细胞活力的相应治疗效果。此外，这些 TiN-PVP 纳米颗粒首次被开发为 NIR-II 激活的 PA 成像的对比剂，在体外和体内都实现了 NIR-I 和 NIR-II 生物窗口内肿瘤的高效光热消融。这项工作不仅为 TiN-PVP 光热纳米制剂在体外和体内的 NIR-II 生物窗口中的应用提供了范例，还证明了使用 NIR-II 激光激发进行 PAI 和 PTT 癌症治疗的可行性。
