Porphyrin-loaded acetylated lignin nanoparticles as a remarkable biomarker emitting in the first optical window

Abstract

Nanoparticles made of a substance derived from wood, lignin, are gaining interest as a potential material for use in nanotechnology, including such biological applications as photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT), which involve the need for the nanoparticles to contain photosensitizers that absorb and emit in certain wavelength ranges. Among the possible approaches there is one relying on utilizing two-photon absorption in the near infrared region. In this work, we present the linear and non-linear photophysical properties of acetylated lignin nanoparticles which have been loaded with porphyrin, in particular, the femtosecond laser-induced emission which was measured for a single nanoparticle. We demonstrate that these nanoparticles can be excited in the so-called first (NIR-I) and second (NIR-II) optical window in the near-infrared (650–950 nm and 1000–1350 nm, respectively). Because their emission also occurs in the NIR, this presents an advantage for the monitoring of the use of these porphyrin-particle hybrids within PDT and PACT applications.