Ultrathin Two-Dimensional Plasmonic PtAg Nanosheets for Broadband Phototheranostics in Both NIR-I and NIR-II Biowindows.

Broadband near-infrared (NIR) photothermal and photoacoustic agents covering from the first NIR (NIR-I) to the second NIR (NIR-II) biowindow are of great significance for imaging and therapy of cancers. In this work, ultrathin two-dimensional plasmonic PtAg nanosheets are discovered with strong broadband light absorption from NIR-I to NIR-II biowindow, which exhibit outstanding photothermal and photoacoustic effects under both 785 and 1064 nm lasers. Photothermal conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of PtAg nanosheets reach 19.2% under 785 nm laser and 45.7% under 1064 nm laser. The PCE under 1064 nm laser is higher than those of most reported inorganic NIR-II photothermal nanoagents. After functionalization with folic acid modified thiol-poly(ethylene glycol) (SH-PEG-FA), PtAg nanosheets endowed with good biocompatibility and 4T1 tumor-targeted function give high performances for photoacoustic imaging (PAI) and photothermal therapy (PTT) in vivo under both 785 and 1064 nm lasers. The effective ablation of tumors in mice can be realized without side effects and tumor metastasis by PAI-guided PTT of PtAg nanosheets under 785 or 1064 nm laser. The results demonstrate that the prepared PtAg nanosheets with ultrathin thickness and small size can serve as a promising phototheranostic nanoplatform for PAI-guided PTT of tumors in both NIR-I and NIR-II biowindows.

Zhang Y ，Shen Q ，Li Q ，He P ，Li J ，Huang F ，Wang J ，Duan Y ，Shen C ，Saleem F ，Luo Z ，Wang L ... -  《Advanced Science》

Photonic cancer nanomedicine using the near infrared-II biowindow enabled by biocompatible titanium nitride nanoplatforms.

Wang C ，Dai C ，Hu Z ，Li H ，Yu L ，Lin H ，Bai J ，Chen Y ... -  《-》

A Nanographene-Porphyrin Hybrid for Near-Infrared-Ii Phototheranostics.

Photoacoustic imaging (PAI)-guided photothermal therapy (PTT) in the second near-infrared (NIR-II, 1000-1700 nm) window has been attracting attention as a promising cancer theranostic platform. Here, it is reported that the π-extended porphyrins fused with one or two nanographene units (NGP-1 and NGP-2) can serve as a new class of NIR-responsive organic agents, displaying absorption extending to ≈1000 and ≈1400 nm in the NIR-I and NIR-II windows, respectively. NGP-1 and NGP-2 are dispersed in water through encapsulation into self-assembled nanoparticles (NPs), achieving high photothermal conversion efficiency of 60% and 69%, respectively, under 808 and 1064 nm laser irradiation. Moreover, the NIR-II-active NGP-2-NPs demonstrated promising photoacoustic responses, along with high photostability and biocompatibility, enabling PAI and efficient NIR-II PTT of cancer in vivo.

Zhao H ，Wang Y ，Chen Q ，Liu Y ，Gao Y ，Müllen K ，Li S ，Narita A ... -  《-》

Rationally designed dual-plasmonic gold nanorod@cuprous selenide hybrid heterostructures by regioselective overgrowth for in vivo photothermal tumor ablation in the second near-infrared biowindow.

NIR-II plasmonic materials offer multiple functionalities for in vivo biomedical applications, such as photothermal tumor ablation, surface-enhanced Raman scattering biosensing, photoacoustic imaging, and drug carriers. However, integration of noble metals and plasmonic semiconductors is greatly challenging because of the large lattice-mismatch. This study reports the regioselective overgrowth of Cu2-xSe on gold nanorods (GNRs) for preparation of dual-plasmonic GNR@Cu2-xSe hybrid heterostructures with tunable NIR-II plasmon resonance absorption for in vivo photothermal tumor ablation. Methods: The regioselective deposition of amorphous Se and its subsequent conversion into Cu2-xSe on the GNRs are performed by altering capping agents to produce the GNR@Cu2-xSe heterostructures of various morphologies. Their photothermal performances for NIR-II photothermal tumor ablation are evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. Results: We find that the lateral one- and two-side deposition, conformal core-shell coating and island growth of Cu2-xSe on the GNRs can be achieved using different capping agents. The Cu2-xSe domain size in these hybrids can be effectively adjusted by the SeO2 concentration, thereby tuning the NIR-II plasmon bands. A photothermal conversion efficiency up to 58-85% and superior photostability of these dual-plasmonic hybrids can be achieved under the NIR-II laser. Results also show that the photothermal conversion efficiency is dependent on the proportion of optical absorption converted into heat; however, the temperature rise is tightly related to the concentration of their constituents. The excellent NIR-II photothermal effect is further verified in the following in vitro and in vivo experiments. Conclusions: This study achieves one-side or two-side deposition, conformal core-shell coating, and island deposition of Cu2-xSe on GNRs for GNR@Cu2-xSe heterostructures with NIR-II plasmonic absorption, and further demonstrates their excellent NIR-II photothermal tumor ablation in vivo. This study provides a promising strategy for the rational design of NIR-II dual-plasmonic heterostructures and highlights their therapeutic in vivo potential.

Shan B ，Wang H ，Li L ，Zhou G ，Wen Y ，Chen M ，Li M ... -  《Theranostics》

A simple POM clusters for in vivo NIR-II photoacoustic imaging-guided NIR-II photothermal therapy.

Photoacoustic (PA) imaging in the second near-infrared (NIR-II) window exhibits enhanced deep-tissue imaging capability. Likely, cancer therapy in the NIR-II window could provide deeper penetration depth and higher exposure to laser over NIR-I. However, the traditional application of excitation light is still in the NIR-I window. In view of the excellent imaging and therapeutic capabilities of NIR-II window, we have demonstrated a simple polyoxometalate (POM) clusters (molecular formula: (Na)n(PMo12O40) or (NH4+)n(PMo12O40)), which integrates NIR-II photoacoustic imaging and NIR-II photothermal therapy into an "all-in-one" theranostic nanoplatform, and could be used for PA imaging-guided photothermal therapy in the NIR-II window. In vivo experiments demonstrate that the POM clusters with good water solubility and biocompatibility were effective to kill tumor without recurrence and metastasis under 1064 nm laser illumination.

Han Y ，Qu B ，Li J ，Zhang X ，Peng X ，Li W ，Zhang R ... -  《-》