Preparation of multifunctional theranostic nanoplatform SA-PB by in-situ polymerization

Background Photothermal therapy (PTT) has unique advantages, including high temporal and spatial controllability and relatively few toxic side effects, and the development of highly effective photothermal agents could greatly improve the efficacy of PTT. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of poly-2-phenylbenzodithiazole (PB)-based nanoprobes for PTT, and the photoacoustic and magnetic resonance imaging properties and photothermal therapeutic effects of the nanoprobes were systematically evaluated by in vivo imaging and in vitro cellular experiments. Methods PB-based nanoparticles SA-PB were prepared by an in situ initiated polymerisation process, and the physical and chemical properties of SA-PB were characterised by TEM, UV–vis, DLS, Zeta potential and XPS. The photothermal conversion of SA-PB nanoparticles was investigated by NIR laser. The photothermal therapeutic effect of SA-PB nanoparticles was investigated by AM-PI cell live-dead staining method. Results The results of in vivo imaging showed that the nanoparticles (PLGA/ICG/Oxa) could be well applied to photoacoustic imaging and nuclear magnetic imaging, while the photothermal treatment well inhibited the growth of tumour cells. CONCLUSION : In this study, a PB-based nanoparticle, SA-PB, was successfully prepared with excellent photothermal properties as well as good photoacoustic and magnetic resonance imaging capabilities, which has potential applications in PTT