Lanthanide Inorganic Nanoparticles Enhance Semiconducting Polymer Nanoparticles Afterglow Luminescence for In Vivo Afterglow/Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Abstract

Dual/multimodal imaging strategies are increasingly recognized for their potential to provide comprehensive diagnostic insights in cancer imaging by harnessing complementary data. This study presents an innovative probe that capitalizes on the synergistic benefits of afterglow luminescence and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), effectively eliminating autofluorescence interference and delivering a superior signal-to-noise ratio. Additionally, it facilitates deep tissue penetration and enables noninvasive imaging. Despite the advantages, only a limited number of probes have demonstrated the capability to simultaneously enhance afterglow luminescence and achieve high-resolution MRI and afterglow imaging. Herein, we introduce a cutting-edge imaging platform based on semiconducting polymer nanoparticles (PFODBT) integrated with NaYF 4 @NaGdF 4 (Y@Gd@PFO-SPNs), which can directly amplify afterglow luminescence and generate MRI and afterglow signals in tumor tissues. The proposed mechanism involves lanthanide nanoparticles producing singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) upon white light irradiation, which subsequently oxidizes PFODBT, thereby intensifying afterglow luminescence. This innovative platform paves the way for the development of high signal-to-background ratio imaging modalities, promising noninvasive diagnostics for cancer.

Host–Guest Metal–Organic Frameworks-Based Long-Afterglow Luminescence Materials

“…Inorganic long-afterglow materials are composed of either transition metals compounds [6] or rare-earth metal compounds [7], mainly including rare-earth-doped aluminate [8,9], silicate [10][11][12], stannite [13], phosphate [14,15], gallate [16,17] and germanate [18,19], which usually require high-temperature calcination to obtain. Organic materials with long afterglows include carbon-based materials [20,21], organic dyes [22,23], polymer-based materials, [24][25][26][27], etc. However, it is the high cost and relatively complex synthesis that have limited the applications of those materials.…”