Plasma-Derived Nanoclusters for Site-Specific Multimodality Photo/Magnetic Thrombus Theranostics

Traditional thrombolytic therapeutics for vascular blockage are affected by their limited penetration into thrombi, associated off-target side effects, and low bioavailability, leading to insufficient thrombolytic efficacy. It is hypothesized that these limitations can be overcome by the precisely controlled and targeted delivery of thrombolytic therapeutics. A theranostic platform is developed that is biocompatible, fluorescent, magnetic, and well-characterized, with multiple targeting modes. This multimodal theranostic system can be remotely visualized and magnetically guided toward thrombi, noninvasively irradiated by near-infrared (NIR) phototherapies, and remotely activated by actuated magnets for additional mechanical therapy. Magnetic guidance can also improve the penetration of nanomedicines into thrombi. In a mouse model of thrombosis, the thrombosis residues are reduced by ≈80% and with no risk of side effects or of secondary embolization. This strategy not only enables the progression of thrombolysis but also accelerates the lysis rate, thereby facilitating its prospective use in time-critical thrombolytic treatment.

Marriage of Virus-Mimic Surface Topology and Microbubble-Assisted Ultrasound for Enhanced Intratumor Accumulation and Improved Cancer Theranostics

The low delivery efficiency of nanoparticles to solid tumors greatly reduces the therapeutic efficacy and safety which is closely related to low permeability and poor distribution at tumor sites. In this work, an "intrinsic plus extrinsic superiority" administration strategy is proposed to dramatically enhance the mean delivery efficiency of nanoparticles in prostate cancer to 6.84% of injected dose, compared to 1.42% as the maximum in prostate cancer in the previously reported study. Specifically, the intrinsic superiority refers to the virus-mimic surface topology of the nanoparticles for enhanced nano-bio interactions. Meanwhile, the extrinsic stimuli of microbubble-assisted low-frequency ultrasound is to enhance permeability of biological barriers and improve intratumor distribution. The enhanced intratumor enrichment can be verified by photoacoustic resonance imaging, fluorescence imaging, and magnetic resonance imaging in this multifunctional nanoplatform, which also facilitates excellent anticancer effect of photothermal treatment, photodynamic treatment, and sonodynamic treatment via combined laser and ultrasound irradiation. This study confirms the significant advance in nanoparticle accumulation in multiple tumor models, which provides an innovative delivery paradigm to improve intratumor accumulation of nanotherapeutics.

Metal Ion/Tannic Acid Assembly as a Versatile Photothermal Platform in Engineering Multimodal Nanotheranostics for Advanced Applications

This study reports a family of photothermal materials, metal ion/tannic acid assemblies (MITAs). MITAs from Fe^III, V^III, and Ru^III afford excellent photothermal efficiency (η ≈ 40%). Sharply differing from the currently existing photothermal agents, MITAs are highlighted by merits including green synthesis, facile incorporation of diagnostic metal ions, and particularly topology-independent adhesion. Owing to the adhesion nature of MITAs, various kinds of MITA-based nanoengineerings are readily available via the self-adhesion of MITAs onto diverse templates, enabling MITAs well suited as a photothermal platform for versatile combination with other therapy approaches and imaging techniques. As a proof of concept, polymeric/inorganic nanoparticle/nanovesicle-supported Fe^III-tannic acid (Fe^IIITA) is fabricated. The photothermal effect is shown to be unaffected by the template origin and type and Fe^IIITA thickness on the templates. We validate the potency of nanovesicle-supported Fe^IIITA (PNV@Fe^IIITA) for tumor-specific photoactivated utilizations, including NIR photothermal therapy with complete tumor elimination, photothermal imaging (PTI), and photoacoustic imaging (PAI) in addition to T₁-MRI imaging. PNV@Fe^IIITA can be simultaneously equipped with functionalities, including T₂-MRI imaging by additionally doping Mn^II and NIR fluorescence imaging by encapsulating a hydrophilic NIR fluoroprobe. MITA demonstrates unparalleled superiority as a photothermal platform in engineering multimodal theranostics for advanced applications.