Tumor Microenvironment-Activatable Phototheranostic: Leveraging Nitric Oxide and Weak Acidity as Dual Biomarkers for Ratiometric Fluorescence, Photoacoustic Imaging, and Photothermal Therapy

Anal Chem. 2024 May 28;96(21):8689-8695. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c00914. Epub 2024 May 15.

Abstract

Tumor microenvironment-responsive phototheranostic agents are highly sought after for their ability to improve diagnostic accuracy and treatment specificity. Here, we introduce a novel single-molecule probe, POZ-NO, which is activated by nitric oxide (NO) and weak acidity, enabling dual-mode imaging and photothermal therapy (PTT) of tumors. In acidic environments with elevated NO levels, POZ-NO exhibits a distinctive ratiometric fluorescence signal shift from the red to near-infrared, accompanied by a 700 nm photoacoustic signal. Additionally, POZ-NO demonstrated potent photothermal effects upon NO and acidity activation, achieving an impressive conversion efficiency of 74.3% under 735 nm laser irradiation. In vivo studies confirm POZ-NO's ability to accurately image tumors through ratiometric fluorescence and photoacoustic modes while selectively treating tumors with PTT.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Female
  • Fluorescence
  • Fluorescent Dyes / chemistry
  • Humans
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Nitric Oxide* / analysis
  • Nitric Oxide* / chemistry
  • Nitric Oxide* / metabolism
  • Optical Imaging
  • Photoacoustic Techniques*
  • Photothermal Therapy*
  • Theranostic Nanomedicine
  • Tumor Microenvironment*

Substances

  • Nitric Oxide
  • Fluorescent Dyes