pH-Sensitive Polypeptide Conjugated with Carborane Clusters and Cyanine for NIR Bioimaging and Multi-Therapies

A novel pH-sensitive carborane and cyanine dye conjugated polypeptide and its micelles has been designed and synthesized for potential near infrared fluorescence imaging-guided boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). The amphiphilic polymer we synthesized with tertiary amine as functional group could self-assemble to micelle nanoparticles at neutral pH, and responsive to acidic solution for the disassembly of the micelles for drug release. The tertiary amine sensitive induced process was observed via dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The efficiency of cell killing ability is studied by MTT assays and fluorescence microscope measurement, indicating a new intelligent system for potential NIR imaging-guided therapy.