Aggregation‐Induced Emission Gold Clustoluminogens for Enhanced Low‐Dose X‐ray‐Induced Photodynamic Therapy

Abstract

The use of gold nanoparticles as radiosensitizers is an effective way to boost the killing efficacy of radiotherapy while drastically limiting the received dose and reducing the possible damage to normal tissues. Herein, we designed aggregation‐induced emission gold clustoluminogens (AIE‐Au) to achieve efficient low‐dose X‐ray‐induced photodynamic therapy (X‐PDT) with negligible side effects. The aggregates of glutathione‐protected gold clusters (GCs) assembled through a cationic polymer enhanced the X‐ray‐excited luminescence by 5.2‐fold. Under low‐dose X‐ray irradiation, AIE‐Au strongly absorbed X‐rays and efficiently generated hydroxyl radicals, which enhanced the radiotherapy effect. Additionally, X‐ray‐induced luminescence excited the conjugated photosensitizers, resulting in a PDT effect. The in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that AIE‐Au effectively triggered the generation of reactive oxygen species with an order‐of‐magnitude reduction in the X‐ray dose, enabling highly effective cancer treatment.

Endocytosis-driven gold nanoparticle fractal rearrangement in cells and its influence on photothermal conversion

“…The detailed study of AuNP intracellular distribution is of particular importance to modeling and predicting the physical and subsequent biological effects of radiosensitization by high atomic number nanoparticles 15,51,52 that depend on their local arrangement, the density of the high Z materials to focus the X-ray beam and its proximity to vital cellular structures. It can be a valuable basis for the future modeling of radiosensitization effects.…”

Recent advances in innovative strategies for enhanced cancer photodynamic therapy

“…Reproduced with permission from Ref. 34 , Copyright © 2019, Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim. ( B ) Schematic illustration of X-ray activated NaCeF 4 :Gd,Tb ScNPs for fluorescence/CT/MR imaging-guided PDT of cancer.…”

“…The X-ray-induced PDT (X-PDT) can be categorized as: (1) metal-based X-PDT; (2) rare-earth-element-based X-PDT; (3) quantum dot (QD)-based X-PDT; (4) silicon-based X-PDT 52 . For example, Sun et al 34 designed a new PS system (R-AIE-Au) based on rose bengal (RB)-conjugated aggregation-induced emission gold clustoluminogens (AIE-Au) for low-dose metal-based X-PDT. Under X-ray irradiation, the Au atoms efficiently converted X-ray to luminescence and further excited conjugated RB for PDT ( Figure 3 A ).…”

Recent Advances in Photodynamic Therapy for Deep-Seated Tumors with the Aid of Nanomedicine

“…Sun et al designed AIE gold clustoluminogens to achieve a low-dose X-ray-induced PDT with generation of abundant ROS and with almost no side effects [ 55 ]. Lanthanide-doped nanoparticles also revealed the potential for use in X-ray-induced PDT [ 56 , 57 , 58 ].…”