title: Intraparticle Molecular Orbital Engineering of Semiconducting Polymer Nanoparticles as Amplified Theranostics for in Vivo Photoacoustic Imaging and Photothermal Therapy.
abstract: Optical theranostic nanoagents that seamlessly and synergistically integrate light-generated signals with photothermal or photodynamic therapy can provide opportunities for cost-effective precision medicine, while the potential for clinical translation requires them to have good biocompatibility and high imaging/therapy performance. We herein report an intraparticle molecular orbital engineering approach to simultaneously enhance photoacoustic brightness and photothermal therapy efficacy of semiconducting polymer nanoparticles (SPNs) for in vivo imaging and treatment of cancer. The theranostic SPNs have a binary optical component nanostructure, wherein a near-infrared absorbing semiconducting polymer and an ultrasmall carbon dot (fullerene) interact with each other to induce photoinduced electron transfer upon light irradiation. Such an intraparticle optoelectronic interaction augments heat generation and consequently enhances the photoacoustic signal and maximum photothermal temperature of SPNs by 2.6- and 1.3-fold, respectively. With the use of the amplified SPN as the theranostic nanoagent, it permits enhanced photoacoustic imaging and photothermal ablation of tumor in living mice. Our study thus not only introduces a category of purely organic optical theranostics but also highlights a molecular guideline to amplify the effectiveness of light-intensive imaging and therapeutic nanosystems.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University , Singapore 637457, Singapore.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lyu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University , Tianjin 300071, China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University , Singapore 637457, Singapore.
authors.forename: Qingqing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University , Singapore 637457, Singapore.
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University , Tianjin 300071, China.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University , Singapore 637457, Singapore.
authors.forename: Kanyi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000737:chemistry*; D005453:Fluorescence; D037741:Fullerenes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006367:HeLa Cells; D064593:Heterografts; D006801:Humans; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D061088:Photoacoustic Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D010789:Phototherapy / Q000379:methods*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011789:Quantum Theory; D012666:Semiconductors; D000068936:Theranostic Nanomedicine
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D037741:Fullerenes; D011108:Polymers
keywords: photoacoustic imaging; photothermal therapy; semiconducting polymer nanoparticles; theranostic