Issue 40, 2018

Gd3+-Ion-induced carbon-dots self-assembly aggregates loaded with a photosensitizer for enhanced fluorescence/MRI dual imaging and antitumor therapy

Abstract

The development of multifunctional nanoparticles for tumor theranostics has become a research hotspot. Despite the advantages of non-invasive precision diagnostics and efficient drug-delivery, these nanoparticles bring two significant issues: (i) a potential toxic effect and (ii) difficult clearance. To solve these issues, carbon dots (C-dots) are key potential candidates owing to their unique properties, such as excellent biocompatibility and rapid renal clearance. However, their small size leads to a short circulation time in the blood, which causes non-sufficient tumor accumulation for antitumor therapy. To reach the balance between an efficient accumulation in a tumor and rapid clearance from the body, herein we report a new multifunctional nanoprobe: photosensitizer (chlorine e6, Ce6)-loaded assembled C-dots (A-C-dots@Ce6). The A-C-dots@Ce6 were assembled from negatively-charged discrete C-dots using Gd3+ ions as a “glue”. which also provided another function of in vivo nanoprobe monitoring via magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Moreover, the nanoprobe exhibited an acidic pH-dependent disassembly and drug-release property. Benefiting from these advantages, the nanoprobe showed a targeted antitumor effect in A549 tumor-bearing mice under laser irradiation and gradual disassembly in the tumor for later body clearance. Therefore, the nanoprobe potentially provides a new strategy to solve the above balance issue, and brightens the future for antitumor monitoring and treatment.

Graphical abstract: Gd3+-Ion-induced carbon-dots self-assembly aggregates loaded with a photosensitizer for enhanced fluorescence/MRI dual imaging and antitumor therapy

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
21 Jul 2018
Accepted
12 Sep 2018
First published
22 Sep 2018

Nanoscale, 2018,10, 19052-19063

Gd3+-Ion-induced carbon-dots self-assembly aggregates loaded with a photosensitizer for enhanced fluorescence/MRI dual imaging and antitumor therapy

Y. Liu, X. Zhi, W. Hou, F. Xia, J. Zhang, L. Li, Y. Hong, H. Yan, C. Peng, J. M. de la Fuentea, J. Song and D. Cui, Nanoscale, 2018, 10, 19052 DOI: 10.1039/C8NR05886E

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