title: Erythrocyte-derived photo-theranostic agents: hybrid nano-vesicles containing indocyanine green for near infrared imaging and therapeutic applications.
abstract: Development of theranostic nano-constructs may enable diagnosis and treatment of diseases at high spatial resolution. Some key requirements for clinical translation of such constructs are that they must be non-toxic, non-immunogenic, biodegradable, with extended circulating lifetime. Cell-based structures, particularly those derived from erythrocytes, are promising candidate carrier systems to satisfy these requirements. One particular type of theranostic materials utilize light-sensitive agents that once photo-activated can provide diagnostic imaging capability, and elicit therapeutic effects. Here we demonstrate the first successful engineering of hybrid nano-scale constructs derived from membranes of hemoglobin-depleted erythrocytes that encapsulate the near infrared chromophore, indocyanine green. We show the utility of the constructs as photo-theranostic agents in fluorescence imaging and photothermal destruction of human cells. These erythrocyte-mimicking nano-structures can be derived autologously, and may have broad applications in personal nanomedicine ranging from imaging and photo-destruction of cancerous tissues to vascular abnormalities, and longitudinal evaluations of therapeutic interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
authors.forename: Baharak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bahmani
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bacon
authors.forename: Bahman
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Anvari
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D022162:Cytoplasmic Vesicles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007208:Indocyanine Green / Q000737:chemistry*; D051379:Mice; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D057054:Molecular Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010316:Particle Size; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared
chemical_list: D007208:Indocyanine Green