Dual-mode imaging and therapeutic effects of drug-loaded phase-transition nanoparticles combined with near-infrared laser and low-intensity ultrasound on ovarian cancer

Abstract

Chemotherapy and photo-sonodynamic therapy (PSDT) can be combined through drug delivery nano-platforms to enhance the anti-tumor efficacy, however, which is limited by hypoxia in tumor, thereby causing chemotherapy resistance. Perfluoropentane (PFP) has the ability to carry oxygen and to enhance ultrasound or photoacoustic imaging after vaporization. Herein, we constructed a kind of nanoparticles (PTX/ICG and oxygen loaded PLGA nanoparticles (PIO_NPs)), which had PFP core carrying oxygen and PLGA shell loaded indocyanine green (ICG) and paclitaxel (PTX). PIO_NPs harbored good optical stability and the ability to transit phase. Moreover, it could rapidly release PTX and generate ROS under the mediation by near-infrared laser and low-intensity ultrasound. The PIO_NPs enhanced contrast of the ultrasound and PA imaging. In particular, PIO_NPs may be used to monitor and guide treatment for the accumulation of PIO_NPs at tumor site can be observed by PA imaging. Compared with PTX or other nanoparticles, PIO_NPs combined with laser and ultrasound (L.U) significantly induced apoptosis of SKOV3 cells and inhibited SKOV3 tumor growth. Therefore, PIO_NPs are of great potential in cancer imaging and therapy.

Keywords:

• Paclitaxel
• indocyanine green
• phase-shift nanoparticles
• hypoxia
• dual-mode imagin

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Dr. Ronald X. Xu (Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA) for technical advice, to Dr. Pan Li and Lan Hao (Institute of Ultrasound Imaging, Second Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, and Chongqing, China) for technical advice on appalment of NIR and low-intensity ultrasound, to Dr. Tinghe Yu (Director of Key Medical laboratory of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China) for the generous support of the experimental facilities.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China [81572558, 81630047, and 31630026] and Health and Family Planning Commission Foundation of Chongqing [2015ZDXM010].