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We present a second near-infrared (NIR-II) self-checking molecule, LET-1052, for acidic tumor microenvironment (TME) turn-on photothermal therapy (PTT), followed by viscosity based therapeutic efficacy evaluation by itself in two independent channels, denoted as "self-checking" strategy. In acidic TME, LET-1052 was protonated and turned on NIR-II absorption for PTT under 1064 nm laser irradiation. Subsequently, PTT-induced cellular death increases intracellular viscosity, which inhibited the intramolecular rotation of LET-1052, resulting in the enhancement of NIR-I fluorescence for real-time evaluation of PTT efficacy. After PTT of tumor-bearing mice for different periods of NIR-II laser irradiation, NIR-I fluorescence in the tumor region showed positive correlation with tumor growth inhibition rate, demonstrating reliable and prompt prediction of PTT efficacy. The strategy may be expanded for instant evaluation of other therapeutic modalities for personalized medicine., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Stimuli-responsive nanotheranostics have been widely explored for precision medicine. Here, we developed a pH/light dual-stimuli-responsive nanotheranostic agent for biological/physical dual-targeting photothermal-enhanced chemotherapy of U87MG tumor. This nanotheranostic agent was composed of the RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) peptide, melanin-coated magnetic nanoparticles (MMNs), doxorubicin (DOX), and indocyanine green (ICG), denoted as RMDI. The tumor accumulation of RMDI was simultaneously improved through biological active targeting by RGD and physical magnetic targeting by an external magnetic field at tumor tissues, which was proven by in vivo photoacoustic/magnetic resonance/fluorescence (PA/MR/FL) trimodal imaging. Under dual stimuli of the tumor acidic microenvironment and laser irradiation, both DOX and ICG were released in a controlled fashion, demonstrating impressive therapeutic outcomes against U87MG tumor both in vitro and in vivo , respectively. Owing to the synergistic photothermal/chemotherapy, the dual-stimuli-responsive and dual-targeting nanotheranostic agent completely ablated U87MG tumor in vivo without any tumor recurrence and biotoxicity. This nanotheranostic agent exhibited great potential in multimodal imaging-guided synergistic therapy of cancer.

Development of multifunctional theranostics is of great significance for cancer management. Herein, we develop polyethylene glycol (PEG) modified cobalt carbide nanoparticles (Co2C-PEG NPs) as cancer photothermal theranostic agents for multimodal imaging and photothermal therapy (PTT). Co2C NPs are synthesized by a high-temperature thermal decomposition method. Afterwards, the morphology, photothermal effect, multimodal imaging capacities, biocompatibility, and PTT efficacy of Co2C-PEG NPs are carefully investigated. The as-prepared Co2C-PEG NPs exhibit high photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE, η = 35.7%) and good photostability. Through photoacoustic (PA), magnetic resonance (MR), and photothermal (PT) tri-modal imaging, in vivo pharmacokinetics and tumor temperature elevation could be monitored during the PTT process. Meanwhile, the Co2C-PEG NPs also show good PTT efficacy both in vitro and in vivo. Our findings suggest that Co2C-PEG NPs are effective for cancer photothermal theranostics.

Background: Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) has emerged as a noninvasive therapeutic modality that involves sonosensitizers and low-intensity ultrasound. However, owing to the rapid recombination of charge carriers, most of the sonosensitizers triggered poor reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, resulting in unsatisfactory sonodynamic therapeutic effects. Results: Herein, a photo/sono-responsive nanoplatform was developed through the in-situ systhesis of TiO2-x on the surface of two-dimensional MXene (titanium carbide, Ti3C2) for photoacoustic/photothermal bimodal imaging-guided near-infrared II (NIR-II) photothermal enhanced SDT of tumor. Because of several oxygen vacancies and smaller size (~ 10 nm), the in-situ formed TiO2-x nanoparticles possessed narrow band gap (2.65 eV) and high surface area, and thus served as a charge trap to restrict charge recombination under ultrasound (US) activation, resulting in enhanced sonodynamic ROS generation. Moreover, Ti3C2 nanosheets induced extensive localized hyperthermia relieves tumor hypoxia by accelerating intratumoral blood flow and tumor oxygenation, and thus further strengthened the efficacy of SDT. Upon US/NIR-II laser dual-stimuli, Ti3C2@TiO2-x nanoplatform triggered substantial cellular killing in vitro and complete tumor eradication in vivo, without any tumor recurrence and systemic toxicity. Conclusion: Our work presents the promising design of photo/sono-responsive nanoplatform for cancer nanotheranostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various bifunctional scaffolds have recently been developed to address the reconstruction of tumor‐initiated bone defects. Such scaffolds are usually composed of a near‐infrared (NIR) photothermal conversion agent and a conventional bone scaffold for photothermal therapy (PTT) and long‐term bone regeneration. However, the reported photothermal conversion agents are mainly restricted to the first biological window (NIR‐I) with intrinsic poor tissue penetration depth. Also, most of these agents are non‐bioactive materials, which induced potential systemic side toxicity after implantation. Herein, a NIR‐II photothermal conversion agent (Wesselsite [SrCuSi4O10] nanosheets, SC NSs) with tremendous osteogenic and angiogenic bioactivity, is rationally integrated with polycaprolactone (PCL) via 3D printing. The as‐designed 3D composite scaffolds not only trigger osteosarcoma ablation through NIR‐II light generated extensive hyperthermia, but also promote in vitro cellular proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), respectively, and the ultimate enhancement of vascularized bone regeneration in vivo owing to the controlled and sustained release of bioactive ions (Sr, Cu, and Si). The authors' study provides a new avenue to prepare multifunctional bone scaffolds based on therapeutic bioceramics for repairing tumor‐induced bone defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]