Near-infrared light modulated photothermal effect increases vascular perfusion and enhances polymeric drug delivery

Hyperthermia, which is heating of tumors above 43 °C for about 30 min, has been known to modulate vascular permeability for enhanced chemotherapy. However, it is not clear whether a similar effect exists when temperature at tumor sites is elevated above 43 °C, such as temperature achieved in laser-induced photothermal ablation (PTA) therapy. Also, the effect of timing of chemotherapeutic drug administration following heating in the efficiency of drug delivery is not established. In this study, we investigated the impact of near infrared (NIR) laser irradiated anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody C225-conjugated hollow gold nanospheres (C225-HAuNS) on vascular permeability and subsequent tumor uptake of a water-soluble polymer using combined MRI, ultrasound and optical imaging approaches. Magnetic temperature imaging showed a maximum temperature of 65.2 ± 0.10 °C in A431 tumor xenograft of mice treated with C225-HAuNS plus laser and 47.0 ± 0.33 °C in tumors of mice treated with saline plus laser at 4 W/cm² for 3 min (control) at 2 mm from the light incident surface. Dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI demonstrated greater than 2-fold increase of DTPA-Gd in the initial area under the curve (IAUC₉₀) in mice injected with C225-HAuNS and exposed to NIR laser compared with control mice at 3 min after laser treatment. Similarly, Power Doppler (PD) ultrasound revealed a 4- to 6-fold increase in percentage vascularization in mice treated with C225-HAuNS plus NIR laser compared to control mice and confirmed increased vascular perfusion immediately after laser treatment. Twenty-four hours later, the blood perfusion was shut down. On optical imaging, tumor uptake of PG-Gd-NIR813, which is the model polymeric drug used, was significantly higher (p-value < 0.05) in mice injected with PG-Gd-NIR813 at 5 min after laser treatment than in mice injected with PG-Gd-NIR813 at 24 h after laser treatment and the saline-treated mice. In conclusion, laser irradiation of tumors after intravenous injection of C255-HAuNS induces a thermally mediated modulation of the vascular perfusion, which enhances the delivery of polymeric drugs to the tumors at the time phototherapy is initiated.     

Expansion of the lymphatic vasculature in cancer and inflammation: New opportunities for in vivo imaging and drug delivery

Over the last 15 years, discovery of key growth factors and specific molecular markers for lymphatic vessels has enabled a new era of molecular research on the lymphatic vascular system. As a result, it has been found that lymphangiogenesis, the expansion of existing lymphatic vessels, plays an important role in tumor progression and in the control of chronic inflammation. At the same time, technical advancements have been made to improve the visualization of the lymphatic system. We have recently developed liposomal and polymer-based formulations of near-infrared lymphatic-specific imaging tracers for the non-invasive quantitative in vivo imaging of lymphatic vessel function. Using these tracers, a near-infrared stereomicroscope system allows imaging of initial and collecting lymphatic vessels with high spatial and temporal resolution in mice. In addition, we have developed a new method, using antibodies to a lymphatic specific marker and positron emission tomography, to sensitively detect lymphatic expansion in lymph nodes as the earliest sign of cancer metastasis. These imaging methods have great potential to provide non-invasive measures to assess the functionality of the lymphatic system and to assess the efficiency of lymphatic drug delivery.     

SPIO nanoparticle-stabilized PAA-F127 thermosensitive nanobubbles with MR/US dual-modality imaging and HIFU-triggered drug release for magnetically guided in vivo tumor therapy

Nanobubbles can serve as promising, next-generation theranostic platforms for ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and combined magnetic targeting (MT) and high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)-triggered drug release for tumor therapy. Nanobubble-based dual contrast enhancement agents encapsulated with perfluoropentane and stabilized with superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles have been synthesized through a single-step emulsion process from thermosensitive F127 and polyacrylic acid (PAA). Both US and MR imaging contrast can be optimized by varying the shell thickness and SPIO-embedded concentration. The US contrast can be enhanced from a mean gray value of 62 to 115, and the MR r₂ value can be enhanced from 164 to 208 (s^− 1 mM^− 1 Fe) by increasing the SPIO concentration from 14.1 to 28.2 mg/mL, respectively. In vivo investigations of SPIO-embedded nanobubbles in excised tumors under external MT revealed that the US and MR signals change quantitatively compared to the same site without MT. This combined strategy enables the nanobubbles to enhance both passive targeting (increasing the permeability by HIFU) and physical MT of chemotherapeutic drugs to tumors. The integration of functionalities makes this nanobubble system a powerful and viable new tool to achieve simultaneous in vivo tumor imaging and efficacious cancer therapy.