State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials, Ministry of Education, Frontiers Science Center for Cell Responses, and College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biomedical Materials and Key Laboratory of Biomaterials and Nanotechnology for Cancer Immunotherapy, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin 300192, China.
ACS Nano. 2024 Jan 23;18(3):2231-2249. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.3c09870. Epub 2024 Jan 8.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) severely lowers the life quality by progressively destructing joint functions and eventually causing permanent disability, representing a pressing public health concern. The pathogenesis of RA includes the excessive production of proinflammatory cytokines and harmful oxygen-derived free radicals, such as nitric oxide (NO), which constitute vital targets for precise diagnosis and effective treatment of RA. In this study, we introduce an advanced nanoagent that integrates the RA microenvironment-activatable photoacoustic (PA) imaging with multitarget synergistic treatment for RA. A highly sensitive organic probe with NO-tunable energy transformation and molecular geometry is developed, which enables strong near-infrared absorption with a turn-on PA signal, and the active intramolecular motion could further boost PA conversion. The probe is coassembled with an inflammation-responsive prodrug to construct the theranostic nanoagent, on which a macrophage-derived cell membrane with natural tropism to the inflammatory sites is camouflaged to improve the targeting ability to inflamed joints. The nanoagent could not only sensitively detect RA and differentiate the severity but also efficiently alleviate RA symptoms and improve joint function. The combination of activatable probe-mediated NO scavenging and on-demand activation of anti-inflammatory prodrug significantly inhibits the proinflammatory factors and promotes macrophage repolarization from M1 to M2 phenotype. This meticulously designed nanoagent ingeniously integrates RA-specific PA molecular imaging with synergistic multitarget therapy, rendering tremendous promise for precise intervention of RA-related diseases.
类风湿性关节炎(RA)通过渐进性破坏关节功能,最终导致永久性残疾,严重降低了生活质量,这是一个紧迫的公共卫生问题。RA 的发病机制包括促炎细胞因子和有害的氧衍生自由基(如一氧化氮(NO))的过度产生,这些都是 RA 精准诊断和有效治疗的重要靶点。在本研究中,我们介绍了一种先进的纳米制剂,它将 RA 微环境激活的光声(PA)成像与 RA 的多靶点协同治疗相结合。开发了一种具有 NO 可调能转换和分子几何形状的高灵敏度有机探针,它具有开启式近红外吸收和 PA 信号,而活性分子内运动可进一步增强 PA 转换。该探针与炎症反应性前药共组装,构建治疗诊断纳米制剂,其表面伪装有天然趋向炎症部位的巨噬细胞衍生细胞膜,以提高对发炎关节的靶向能力。该纳米制剂不仅能够灵敏地检测 RA 并区分严重程度,还能有效地缓解 RA 症状并改善关节功能。激活探针介导的 NO 清除和按需激活抗炎前药的联合应用,显著抑制了促炎因子,并促进了巨噬细胞从 M1 向 M2 表型的极化。这种精心设计的纳米制剂巧妙地将 RA 特异性 PA 分子成像与协同多靶点治疗相结合,为 RA 相关疾病的精准干预提供了巨大的潜力。