<i>In Situ</i> Transformable Pro-nanotheranostic Platform for Activable Photoacoustic Imaging and Synergistic Photothermal/Chemodynamic Cancer Therapy
Yajing Han, Su-Jing Zhao, Fenglin Wang, Jian‐Hui Jiang
Abstract
Nanotheranostic platforms integrated with diagnostic and therapeutic functions have been widely developed for tumor medicine. However, the “always-on” nanotheranostic platforms suffer from poor tumor specificity, which may largely restrict therapeutic efficacy and prevent precise theranostics. Here, we develop an in situ transformable pro-nanotheranostic platform (ZnS/Cu 2 O@ZIF-8@PVP) by encapsulating ZnS and Cu 2 O nanoparticles in a metal–organic framework (MOF) nanomaterial of ZIF-8 that allows activable photoacoustic (PA) imaging and synergistic photothermal/chemodynamic therapy (PTT/CDT) of tumors in vivo . It is shown that the pro-nanotheranostic platform gradually decomposes and releases ZnS nanoparticles and Cu + ions in acidic conditions, which spontaneously trigger a cation exchange reaction and synthesize Cu 2 S nanodots in situ with activated PA signals and PTT effects. Moreover, the excessive Cu + ions function as Fenton-like catalysts and catalyze the production of highly reactive hydroxyl radicals ( • OH) for CDT using elevated levels of H 2 O 2 in tumor microenvironments (TMEs). In vivo studies demonstrate that the in situ transformable pro-nanotheranostic platform can specifically image tumors via PA and photothermal imaging and efficiently ablate tumors through synergistic CDT/PTT. Our in situ transformable pro-nanotheranostic platform could provide a new arsenal for precise theranostics in cancer therapy.