Recent advances in functionalized ferrite nanoparticles: From fundamentals to magnetic hyperthermia cancer therapy.

Cancers are fatal diseases that lead to most death of human beings, which urgently require effective treatments methods. Hyperthermia therapy employs magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) as heating medium under external alternating magnetic field. Among various MNPs, ferrite nanoparticles (FNPs) have gained significant attention for hyperthermia therapy due to their exceptional magnetic properties, high stability, favorable biological compatibility, and low toxicity. The utilization of FNPs holds immense potential for enhancing the effectiveness of hyperthermia therapy. The main hurdle for hyperthermia treatment includes optimizing the heat generation capacity of FNPs and controlling the local temperature of tumor region. This review aims to comprehensively evaluate the magnetic hyperthermia treatment (MHT) of FNPs, which is accomplished by elucidating the underlying mechanism of heat generation and identifying influential factors. Based upon fundamental understanding of hyperthermia of FNPs, valuable insights will be provided for developing efficient nanoplatforms with enhanced accuracy and magnetothermal properties. Additionally, we will also survey current research focuses on modulating FNPs' properties, external conditions for MHT, novel technical methods, and recent clinical findings. Finally, current challenges in MHT with FNPs will be discussed while prospecting future directions.

Indocyanine Green-Based Theranostic Nanoplatform for NIR Fluorescence Image-Guided Chemo/Photothermal Therapy of Cervical Cancer.

PURPOSE: Indocyanine green (ICG) is a favorable fluorescence nanoprobe for its strong NIR-I fluorescence emission and good photothermal capabilities. However, the stability and tumor targeting ability of ICG is poor, which limits its further applications. To further improve the photothermal and therapeutic efficiency of ICG, bovine serum albumin (BSA) was utilized to encapsulate the ICG and the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded to form the BSA@ICG-DOX theranostic nanoplatform. METHODS: In this study, ICG-loaded BSA nanoparticles (NPs) and the BSA@ICG-DOX NPs were fabricated using reprecipitation methods. Next, the tumour inhibition ability and biocompatibility of the NPs were evaluated. A subcutaneous xenografted nude mice model was established and imaging guided synergetic therapy was performed with the assistance of BSA@ICG-DOX NPs under 808 nm laser irradiation. RESULTS: The BSA@ICG NPs exhibited strong NIR-I fluorescence emission, excellent photothermal properties, biocompatibility, and tumor targeting ability. To further improve the therapeutic efficiency, the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded into the BSA@ICG NPs to form the BSA@ICG-DOX theranostic nanoplatform. The BSA@ICG-DOX NPs were spherical with an average size of ~194.7 nm. The NPs had high encapsulation efficiency (DOX: 19.96% and ICG: 60.57%), and drug loading content (DOX: 0.95% and ICG: 3.03%). Next, excellent NIR-I fluorescence and low toxicity of the BSA@ICG-DOX NPs were verified. Targeted NIR-I fluorescence images were obtained after intravenous injection of the NPs into the subcutaneous cervical tumors of the mice. CONCLUSION: To improve the anti-tumor efficiency of the ICG@BSA NPs, the chemotherapeutic drug DOX was loaded into the BSA@ICG NPs. The NIR excitation/emission and targeted BSA@ICG-DOX NPs enables high-performance diagnosis and chemo/photothermal therapy of subcutaneous cervical tumors, providing a promising approach for further biomedical applications.

Near-infrared emissive polymer-coated IR-820 nanoparticles assisted photothermal therapy for cervical cancer cells.

Photothermal therapy (PTT) has attracted wide attention due to its noninvasiveness and its thermal ablation ability. As photothermal agents are crucial factor in PTT, those with the characteristics of biocompatibility, non-toxicity and high photothermal stability have attracted great interest. In this work, new indocyanine green (IR-820) was utilized as a photothermal agent and near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging nanoprobe. To improve the biocompatibility, poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) (PSMA) was utilized to encapsulate the IR-820 molecules to form novel IR-820@PSMA nanoparticles (NPs). Then, the optical and thermal properties of IR-820@PSMA NPs were studied in detail. The IR-820@PSMA NPs showed excellent photothermal stability and biocompatibility. The cellular uptaking ability of the IR-820@PSMA NPs was further confirmed in HeLa cells by the NIR fluorescent confocal microscopic imaging technique. The IR-820@PSMA NPs assisted PTT of living HeLa cells was conducted under 793 nm laser excitation, and a high PTT efficiency of 73.3% was obtained.

Synthesis of an efficient far-red/near-infrared luminogen with AIE characteristics for in vivo bioimaging applications.

A selenium-containing FR/NIR AIE luminogen with efficient solid-state emission is reported. Its AIE dots exhibit high brightness, large Stokes shift, good biocompatibility and satisfactory photostability, making them the first selenium-containing FR/NIR nanoprobes with AIE characteristics for in vivo bioimaging applications with high contrast and a high penetration depth.

Single-Molecular Near-Infrared-II Theranostic Systems: Ultrastable Aggregation-Induced Emission Nanoparticles for Long-Term Tracing and Efficient Photothermal Therapy.

Second near-infrared (NIR-II, 1000-1700 nm) fluorescence bioimaging has attracted tremendous scientific interest and already been used in many biomedical studies. However, reports on organic NIR-II fluorescent probes for in vivo photoinduced imaging and simultaneous therapy, as well as the long-term tracing of specific biological objects, are still very rare. Herein we designed a single-molecular and NIR-II-emissive theranostic system by encapsulating a kind of aggregation-induced emission luminogen (AIEgen, named BPN-BBTD) with amphiphilic polymer. The ultra-stable BPN-BBTD nanoparticles were employed for the NIR-II fluorescence imaging and photothermal therapy of bladder tumors in vivo. The 785 nm excitation triggered photothermal therapy could completely eradicate the subcutaneous tumor and inhibit the growth of orthotopic tumors. Furthermore, BPN-BBTD nanoparticles were capable of monitoring subcutaneous and orthotopic tumors for a long time (32 days). Single-molecular and NIR-II-emitted aggregation-induced emission nanoparticles hold potential for the diagnosis, precise treatment, and metastasis monitoring of tumors in the future.