Key Words:FLUORESCENCE; THERAPY

Abstract:Near-infrared (NIR) photothermal transduction agents (PTAs) with large rigid K-extended and planar structures are prone to aggregate in a physiological environment where their emission is often quenched due to the strong intermolecular dipole-dipole or K-K interactions. This aggregation-caused quenching effect greatly impedes their applications in image-guided photothermal theranostics. Herein, we made an interesting finding that engineering a bioinspired protein corona (PC), once thermodynamically stabilized in preferred orientations on PTA nanoaggregates, can produce brilliant NIR fluorescence with a high quantum yield (& SIM;6.2%) without compromising their photothermal properties. Both experimental data and computa-tional modeling suggest that the mechanism of fluorescence enhancement is due to the high-affinity binding of nano-sized PTA to albumin, which regulates the molecular conformation and aggregation state of PTA. High spatial and temporal resolution imaging of albumin PC-coated PTA aggregates enables image-guided photothermal therapy for cancer cells in sentinel lymph nodes to remarkably inhibit pulmonary metastasis. Such a treatment combined with the surgical removal of the primary tumor can prolong animal survival, which is a promising candidate for clinical applications in the treatment of advanced metastatic cancers.

Volume:94

Issue:27

Translation or Not:no