Indocyanine-type Infrared-820 Encapsulated Polymeric Nanoparticle-Assisted Photothermal Therapy of Cancer

Abstract

Organic small-molecule photosensitizers are well-characterized and known for the light-responsive treatment modality including photodynamic therapy. Compared with ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) light used in conventional photodynamic therapy with organic photosensitizers, near-infrared (NIR) light from 700 to 900 nm is less absorbed and scattered by biological tissue such as hemoglobin, lipids, and water, and thus, the use of NIR excitation can greatly increase the penetration depth and emission. Additionally, NIR light has lower energy than UV–vis that can be beneficial due to less activation of fluorophores present in tissues upon NIR irradiation. However, the low water stability, nonspecific distribution, and short circulation half-life of the organic photosensitizers limit its broad biological application. NIR responsive small-molecule fluorescent agents are the focus of extensive research for combined molecular imaging and hyperthermia. Recently a new class of NIR dye, IR-820 with excitation and emission wavelengths of 710 and 820 nm, has been developed and explored as an alternative platform to overcome some of the limitations of the most commonly used gold nanoparticles for photothermal therapy of cancer. Herein, we synthesized a core–shell biocompatible nanocarrier envelope made up of a phospholipid conjugated with poly(ethylene glycol) as a shell, while poly(lactic glycolic acid) (PLGA) was used as a core to encapsulate IR-820 dye. The IR-820-loaded nanoparticles were prepared by nanoprecipitation and characterized for their physicochemical properties and photothermal efficiency. These nanoparticles were monodispersed and highly stable in physiological pH with the hydrodynamic size of 103 ± 8 nm and polydispersity index of 0.163 ± 0.031. The IR-820-loaded nanocarrier showed excellent biocompatibility in the dark, whereas remarkable phototoxicity was observed with breast cancer cells (MCF-7) upon NIR laser excitation. Therefore, the IR-820-loaded phospholipid mimicking biodegradable lipid-polymer composite nanoparticles could have great potential for cancer theranostics.

Pure Nano Genesis: Pioneering Universal Aqueous Nanostrategies from Pure Molecules to Revolutionise Diverse Applications

“…The key advantages of photo-based therapy include its high specificity, minimal invasiveness and low toxicity. Due to their unique properties, the conjuncted molecules, such as IR-820 55,56 , pyrene 57 , rhein 58 , berberine 59 , camptothecin 60,61 and curcumin 62 , have been formulated into various nano structures 63,64 for exploring their potential in photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) for the treatment of various ailments. The formation of Pure Nano systems of the conjuncted molecules provide them with improved nano-structural stability and aqueous dispersity as well as significantly altered photophysical properties, thus further expanding their potential applications in these fields.…”

“…Due to their unique properties, the conjuncted molecules, such as IR-820 55,56 , pyrene 57 , rhein 58 , berberine 59 , camptothecin 60,61 and curcumin 62 , have been formulated into various nano structures 63,64 for exploring their potential in photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) for the treatment of various ailments.…”

Interaction of Near-Infrared (NIR)-Light Responsive Probes with Lipid Membranes: A Combined Simulation and Experimental Study

“…Although it can be a quite unexpected result due to the lower hydrophobicity of probes containing R1 and R2 charged groups, such as IR820, this agrees with the ability of the molecules from group 2 to be deeply inserted in the lipid membrane and create membrane defects that ultimately may lead to the disruption of the membrane. Indeed, the data available in the literature point to a higher cytotoxicity of IR820 in MCF-7 cells in the absence of irradiation, i.e., cell viability of 75% for IR820 at 8 µM [ 74 ], while IR780 at 7.5 µM results in a cell viability higher than 80% [ 75 ]. Additionally, in another work, the authors showed a small increase in the BMS202 release without NIR laser irradiation when the IR780 was also loaded on lipid nanoparticles—a total release rate of 56.7% and 51.4% at 72 h in the presence and absence of IR780, respectively [ 76 ].…”

Antiproliferative Effects of Palm Oil in the Presence of Photobiomodulation Against K562 Cancer Cells

“…PI stains cells can only be identified in necrosis or late apoptosis, while Annexin V can be identified in both the late and early stages of apoptosis. Accordingly, living cells (Annexin V -/PI -, bottom left quadrant), early apoptotic cells (Annexin V + /PI -, bottom right quadrant), late apoptotic cells (Annexin V + /PI + , top right quadrant) and necrotic cells (Annexin V -/PI + , top left quadrant) were classified (Marasini and Aryal, 2022). As observed in Figure 7b, when cells were treated with PO, an increase in the content of both early and late apoptotic cells was observed (30.8% and 18.8%, respectively).…”