Theranostics Using Indocyanine Green Lactosomes

Abstract

Lactosomes™ are biocompatible nanoparticles that can be used for cancer tissue imaging and drug delivery. Lactosomes are polymeric micelles formed by the self-assembly of biodegradable amphiphilic block copolymers composed of hydrophilic polysarcosine and hydrophobic poly-L-lactic acid chains. The particle size can be controlled in the range of 20 to 100 nm. Lactosomes can also be loaded with hydrophobic imaging probes and photosensitizers, such as indocyanine green. Indocyanine green-loaded lactosomes are stable for long-term circulation in the blood, allowing for accumulation in cancer tissues. Such lactosomes function as a photosensitizer, which simultaneously enables fluorescence diagnosis and photodynamic therapy. This review provides an overview of lactosomes with respect to molecular design, accumulation in cancer tissue, and theranostics applications. The use of lactosomes can facilitate the treatment of cancers in unresectable tissues, such as glioblastoma and head and neck cancers, which can lead to improved quality of life for patients with recurrent and unresectable cancers. We conclude by describing some outstanding questions and future directions for cancer theranostics with respect to clinical applications.

Advancing breast cancer diagnosis with a near-infrared fluorescence imaging smart sensor for estrogen/progesterone receptor detection

“…The near-infrared fluorescent protein 713 (iRFP713) has an excitation and emission wavelength at 690 nm and 713 nm, respectively, making it an optimal option for mammalian tissue imaging 18 . While near-infrared fluorescent dyes like 5-aminolevulinic acid 27 , fluorescein sodium 28 , and indocyanine green 29 have been widely used to determine the surgical margins of cancer tissues, they are unable to effectively display molecular status in cancer cells. By fusing double ERE and double PRE, we formed an ER/PR response element that can efficiently detect both proteins in breast cancer cells, activating the expression of iRFP713 and allowing cancer cells to display red light under near-infrared laser (Figs.…”

Revolutionizing cancer treatment: nanotechnology-enabled photodynamic therapy and immunotherapy with advanced photosensitizers

“…In recent years, researchers have also discovered its potential for PDT applications. ICG has shown efficacy in both in vitro and in vivo experiments, showing its potential for imaging and treating malignant tumors simultaneously ( 79 ). Porphysomes, another example of dual-function PSs, are self-assembled porphyrin-lipid nanoparticles.…”

Reversible transformation of peptide assembly between densified-polysarcosine-driven kinetically and helix-orientation-driven thermodynamically stable morphologies

“…18 PSar is characterized by becoming hydrophilic upon hydration in an aqueous solvent and shows good stealth ability on drug delivery carriers. [19][20][21][22][23][24] Hence, this present study focused on exploiting the natural and simplest polypeptoid, PSar, in developing a temperature-responsive bio-based polymer.…”

“…14,15 We have previously reported that an amphiphilic block-co-polypeptide composed of a hydrophilic PSar chain and a hydrophobic α-helical block (L-Leu-Aib) 6 , which consists of alternating sequences of leucine (Leu) and 2-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib), forms nanotubes with uniform diameters. [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] In the hydrophobic phase of the nanotube assembly, precise protein-like orientations of the helices are induced by interlocking of the irregularities created by the helix side chains. The assembly shows helix orientation-derived anisotropy and curvature, leading to well-defined nanotubes.…”