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

Shuning Chen,Yujiao Liu,Shenyin Zhu,Chunyan Chen,Wan Xie,Linlin Xiao,Yi Zhu,Lan Hao,Zhigang Wang,Jiangchuan Sun,Shufang Chang

doi:10.1080/10717544.2018.1507062

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.

Highlights

Ovarian cancer is one of the most prevalent gynecologic malignancies with high incidence and mortality rates (Torre et al, 2015; Siegel et al, 2017)
We investigated the optical stability of free indocyanine green (ICG) and PTX/ICG and oxygen loaded PLGA nanoparticles (PIO_NPs), measured the absorption and emission spectra separately every 3 d, which revealed that free ICG was degraded faster than PIO_NPs
There was no significant difference in other groups. These results proved that oxygen-carrying nanoparticles can improve hypoxia and reduce chemoresistance in tumor tissues (Liu et al, 2015; McEwan, et al, 2015; McEwan et al, 2016)

Summary

Introduction

Ovarian cancer is one of the most prevalent gynecologic malignancies with high incidence and mortality rates (Torre et al, 2015; Siegel et al, 2017). Previous studies have explored the combination of photodynamic therapy (PDT) or sonodynamical therapy (SDT) and chemotherapy (Zheng et al, 2013; Huang et al, 2014; Su et al, 2015). PSDT was used in our study as a more effective treatment. In spite of the complicated mechanism of PDST, the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is one of the key factors. The effect of combination of PSDT and chemotherapy is rarely explored

Methods

Results

Conclusion