Untrasmall Bi2S3 nanodots for in vivo X-ray CT imaging-guided photothermal therapy of cancer

Abstract

Theranostic nanomedicine has shown tremendous promise for more effective and predictive cancer treatment by real-time mornitoring of the delivery of therapeutics to tumors and subsequent therapeutic response. However, the preparation of the theranostic nanoplatforms generally involves complicated procedures to encapsulate the therapeutic and imaging agents into a single nanoformulation. In this work, we develop an innovative nanotheranostic composed of ultrasmall PEG–Bi₂S₃ nanodots for simultaneous X-ray CT imaging and photothermal therapy. These nanodots possess several unique features: (i) efficient conversion of the NIR light into heat upon laser irradiation; (ii) long circulation time in vivo for effective tumor accumulation; (iii) 100% tumor elimination upon NIR laser irradiation in a tumor xenograft mouse model following systemic injection without obvious side effects; (iv) small size for efficient clearance from the body; and (v) high-performance CT imaging in vivo for potential imaging-guided therapy and the selection of cancer patients with high tumor accumulation. These results strongly suggest that this theranostic nanomedicine may become an effective tool for CT imaging-guided therapy for personalized cancer treatment.