Developing a Hetero-Trinuclear Erbium(III)–Copper(II) Complex Based on Apoferritin: Targeted Photoacoustic Imaging and Multimodality Therapy of Tumor
Minghui Zhu, Xueyu Man, Tongfu Yang, Wenjuan Li, Shanhe Li, Gang Xu, Zhenlei Zhang, Hong Liang, Feng Yang
Abstract
For the integration of targeted diagnosis and treatment of tumor, we innovatively designed and synthesized a single-molecule hetero-multinuclear Er(III)–Cu(II) complex ( ErCu 2 ) and then constructed an ErCu 2 @apoferritin (AFt) nanoparticle (NP) delivery system. ErCu 2 and ErCu 2 @AFt NPs not only provided an evident photoacoustic imaging (PAI) signal of the tumor but also effectively inhibited tumor growth by integrating photothermal therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. ErCu 2 @AFt NPs improved the targeting ability and decreased the systemic toxicity of ErCu 2 in vivo . Furthermore, we confirmed that ErCu 2 and ErCu 2 @AFt NPs inhibited tumor growth by inducing apoptosis and autophagy of tumor cells and activating the immune system. The study not only provides a novel strategy to develop therapeutic metal agents but also reveals their potential for targeted accurate diagnosis and multimodality therapy of cancer.