Bio-degradable highly fluorescent conjugated polymer nanoparticles for bio-medical imaging applications

Abstract

Conjugated polymer nanoparticles exhibit strong fluorescence and have been applied for biological fluorescence imaging in cell culture and in small animals. However, conjugated polymer particles are hydrophobic and often chemically inert materials with diameters ranging from below 50 nm to several microns. As such, conjugated polymer nanoparticles cannot be excreted through the renal system. This drawback has prevented their application for clinical bio-medical imaging. Here, we present fully conjugated polymer nanoparticles based on imidazole units. These nanoparticles can be bio-degraded by activated macrophages. Reactive oxygen species induce scission of the conjugated polymer backbone at the imidazole unit, leading to complete decomposition of the particles into soluble low molecular weight fragments. Furthermore, the nanoparticles can be surface functionalized for directed targeting. The approach opens a wide range of opportunities for conjugated polymer particles in the fields of medical imaging, drug-delivery, and theranostics.

Targeting Fluorescence Imaging of RGD-Modified Indocyanine Green Micelles on Gastric Cancer

“…Nowadays, nanocarriers, such as liposomes, polymer micelles, and nanoparticles, are widely applied in the drug delivery system (DDS) to achieve the maximum bioavailability and therapeutic effect (Repenko et al, 2017;Peng et al, 2018;Li et al, 2019). Lipid micelles are biocompatible, non-toxic, and stable in vivo (Xu et al, 2019).…”

π-Conjugated nanostructured materials: preparation, properties and photonic applications

“…These features make them good candidates for a wide range of biomedical applications, and thus there are already numerous studies of their applications in nanobiotechnology. [104][105][106][107][108][109][110][111][112][113][114][115][116][117][118] A number of review articles [20][21][22] have been published giving an overview of the biomedical applications of these nanostructured conjugated materials; therefore, we present a brief summary of recent work on their biomedical applications to complete this review.…”

“…CPNs can be used in long-term cell imaging and as a drug/ biomolecules carrier because they are ideal nanocarriers in image-guided drug and biomolecule delivery due to their good photo stability and intrinsic luminescence properties. [104][105][106][107][108][109][110][111][112] The nanoparticle surfaces can be decorated with a variety of functional groups to allow the attachment of biologically relevant species for targeting and recognition. Moreover, carefully selecting the structure of the oligomer or polymer can produce stimuli-responsive nanoparticles [105][106][107] suitable for controlled cargo release or as light-induced sensitizers to generate reactive oxygen species for use in photodynamic therapy and antibacterial applications.…”

Electrochemically Enhanced Drug Delivery Using Polypyrrole Films

“…While OEM-based nanoparticles have promise for simultaneous imaging and drug delivery (i.e., theranostic applications) [ 18 , 19 ], nanoparticles are not the only morphology of materials that OEMs can be processed into, and it is also possible to manufacture OEM-based films, fibers, foams, and hydrogels [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. The morphologies of these alternative materials are under investigation for their inclusion into new versions of a variety of clinically translated electronic interfaces for the body (e.g., cardiac pacemakers, cochlear implants, retinal prostheses, and electrodes for deep brain stimulation), or indeed, electronic interfaces for the peripheral nervous system (e.g., for the control of the bladder) [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ].…”