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Multifunctional biodegradable inorganic theranostic nano-agents are of great interest to the field of nanomedicine. Upon lipid modification, VS2 nanosheets could be converted into ultra-small VS2 nanodots encapsulated inside polyethylene glycol (PEG) modified lipid micelles. Owing to paramagnetism, high near-infrared (NIR) absorbance, and chelator-free 99mTc4+ labeling of VS2, such VS2@lipid-PEG nanoparticles could be used for T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR), photoacoustic (PA),and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) tri-modal imaging guided photothermal ablation of tumors. Importantly, along with the gradual degradation of VS2, our VS2@lipid-PEG nanoparticles exhibit effective body excretion without appreciable toxicity. The unique advantages of VS2 nanostructures with highly integrated functionalities and biodegradable behaviors mean they are promising for applications in cancer theranostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facile preparation of multifunctional theranostic nanoplatforms with well-controlled morphology and sizes remains an attractive in the area of nanomedicine. Here, a new kind of 2D transition metal dichalcogenide, rhenium disulfide (ReS2) nanosheets, with uniform sizes, strong near-infrared (NIR) light, and strong X-ray attenuation, is successfully synthesized. After surface modification with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), the synthesized ReS2-PEG nanosheets are stable in various physiological solutions. In addition to their contrasts in photoacoustic imaging and X-ray computed tomography imaging because of their strong NIR light and X-ray absorptions, respectively, such ReS2-PEG nanosheets can also be tracked under nuclear imaging after chelator-free labeling with radioisotope ions, 99mTc4+. Efficient tumor accumulation of ReS2-PEG nanosheets is then observed after intravenous injection into tumor-bearing mice under triple-modal imaging. The combined in vivo photothermal radiotherapy is further conducted, achieving a remarkable synergistic tumor destruction effect. Finally, no obvious toxicity of ReS2-PEG nanosheets is observed from the treated mice within 30 d. This work suggests that such ultrathin ReS2 nanosheets with well-controlled morphology and uniform sizes may be a promising type of multifunctional theranostic agent for remotely triggered cancer combination therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combining different therapeutic strategies to treat cancer by overcoming limitations of conventional cancer therapies has shown great promise in both fundamental and clinical studies. Herein, by adding 131I when making iodine-doped CuS nanoparticles, CuS/[131I]I nanoparticles are obtained, which after functionalization with polyethylene glycol (PEG) are used for radiotherapy (RT) and photothermal therapy (PTT), by utilizing their intrinsic high near-infrared absorbance and the doped 131I-radioactivity, respectively. The combined RT and PTT based on CuS/[131I]I-PEG is then conducted, achieving remarkable synergistic therapeutic effects as demonstrated in the treatment of subcutaneous tumors. In the meanwhile, as revealed by bimodal nuclear imaging and computed tomography (CT) imaging, it is found that CuS/[131I]I-PEG nanoparticles after being injected into primary solid tumors could migrate to and retain in their nearby sentinel lymph nodes. Importantly, the combined RT and PTT applied on those lymph nodes to assist surgical resection of primary tumors results in remarkably inhibited cancer metastasis and greatly prolonged animal survival. In vivo toxicology studies further reveal that our CuS/I-PEG is not obviously toxic to animals at fourfold of the treatment dose. This work thus demonstrates the potential of combining RT and PTT using a single nanoagent for imaging-guided treatment of metastatic tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of cancer combination therapies, many of which rely on nanoscale theranostic agents, has received increasing attention in recent years. In this work, polyethylene glycol (PEG) modified mesoporous silica (MS) coated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are fabricated and utilized as a multifunctional platform for imaging guided combination therapy of cancer. A model chemotherapy drug, doxorubicin (DOX), could be loaded into the mesoporous structure of the obtained SWNT@MS-PEG nano-carriers with high efficiency. Upon stimulation under near-infrared (NIR) light, photothermally triggered drug release from DOX loaded SWNT@MS-PEG is observed inside cells, resulting in a synergistic cancer cell killing effect. As revealed by both photoacoustic (PA) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, we further uncover efficient tumor accumulation of SWNT@MS-PEG/DOX after intravenous injection into mice. In vivo combination therapy using this agent is further demonstrated in a mouse tumor model, achieving a remarkable synergistic anti-tumor effect superior to that obtained by mono-therapy. Our work presents a new type of theranostic nano-platform, which could load therapeutic molecules with high efficiency, be responsive to external NIR stimulation, and at the same time serve as a diagnostic imaging agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]