Issue 7, 2025

Branched silver–iron oxide nanoparticles enabling highly effective targeted and localised drug-free thrombolysis

Abstract

Ultrasound has been widely used as an external stimulus to trigger drug release from nanomaterials in thrombosis treatment. Here, we introduce a novel strategy leveraging nanomaterials not for drug delivery, but for enhancing US-induced thrombolysis. This innovative strategy is particularly significant, as thrombolytic drugs inherently pose a risk of systemic bleeding. We combined branched silver–iron oxide nanoparticles (AgIONPs) with low-intensity focused ultrasound to evaluate their thrombolytic potential. Binding assays in in vitro human blood clots and in a thrombosis mouse model confirmed that the targeted AgIONPs specifically bound to thrombi. Upon ultrasound activation, AgIONPs facilitated thrombolysis via two key mechanisms: hyperthermia driven by the nanoparticle-mediated thermal conversion, and mechanical shear forces induced by ultrasound. The combination of AgIONPs and US generated a synergistic thrombolytic effect, demonstrating significant efficacy in both in vitro and in vivo.

Graphical abstract: Branched silver–iron oxide nanoparticles enabling highly effective targeted and localised drug-free thrombolysis

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
17 Aug 2024
Accepted
03 Feb 2025
First published
06 Feb 2025

Biomater. Sci., 2025,13, 1683-1696

Branched silver–iron oxide nanoparticles enabling highly effective targeted and localised drug-free thrombolysis

K. X. Vazquez-Prada, S. S. Moonshi, Y. Wu, K. Peter, X. Wang, Z. P. Xu and H. T. Ta, Biomater. Sci., 2025, 13, 1683 DOI: 10.1039/D4BM01089B

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements