Issue 6, 2024

Nanomaterials for light-mediated therapeutics in deep tissue

Abstract

Light-mediated therapeutics, including photodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy and light-triggered drug delivery, have been widely studied due to their high specificity and effective therapy. However, conventional light-mediated therapies usually depend on the activation of light-sensitive molecules with UV or visible light, which have poor penetration in biological tissues. Over the past decade, efforts have been made to engineer nanosystems that can generate luminescence through excitation with near-infrared (NIR) light, ultrasound or X-ray. Certain nanosystems can even carry out light-mediated therapy through chemiluminescence, eliminating the need for external activation. Compared to UV or visible light, these 4 excitation modes penetrate more deeply into biological tissues, triggering light-mediated therapy in deeper tissues. In this review, we systematically report the design and mechanisms of different luminescent nanosystems excited by the 4 excitation sources, methods to enhance the generated luminescence, and recent applications of such nanosystems in deep tissue light-mediated therapeutics.

Graphical abstract: Nanomaterials for light-mediated therapeutics in deep tissue

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
06 okt 2023
First published
24 jan 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Soc. Rev., 2024,53, 2898-2931

Nanomaterials for light-mediated therapeutics in deep tissue

C. Y. Tsang and Y. Zhang, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2024, 53, 2898 DOI: 10.1039/D3CS00862B

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