The nonradiative conversion of light energy into heat (photothermal therapy, PTT) or sound energy (photoacoustic imaging, PAI) has been intensively investigated for the treatment and diagnosis of cancer, respectively. By taking advantage of nanocarriers, both imaging and therapeutic functions together with enhanced tumour accumulation have been thoroughly studied to improve the pre-clinical efficiency of PAI and PTT. In this review, we first summarize the development of inorganic and organic nano photothermal transduction agents (PTAs) and strategies for improving the PTT outcomes, including applying appropriate laser dosage, guiding the treatment via imaging techniques, developing PTAs with absorption in the second NIR window, increasing photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE), and also increasing the accumulation of PTAs in tumours. Second, we introduce the advantages of combining PTT with other therapies in cancer treatment. Third, the emerging applications of PAI in cancer-related research are exemplified. Finally, the perspectives and challenges of PTT and PAI for combating cancer, especially regarding their clinical translation, are discussed. We believe that PTT and PAI having noteworthy features would become promising next-generation non-invasive cancer theranostic techniques and improve our ability to combat cancers.

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Photothermal therapy and photoacoustic imaging via nanotheranostics in fighting cancer

2.1.2. Low Topology/Framework Density 1003 2.1.3. Side Group Directed Superstructures 1003 2.2. Synthesis Considerations 1003 2.3. Special Properties 1004 3. Metal Imidazolate Frameworks 1004 3.1. Chains and Rings 1004 3.2. Zeolitic and Zeolite-like Frameworks 1006 3.2.1. SOD-Type Zinc(II) 2-Methylimidazolate 1007 3.3. Nonporous 4-Connected Networks 1010 3.4. Polyimidazolates 1011 4. Metal Pyrazolate Frameworks 1011 4.1. Clusters and Chains 1011 4.2. 3D Networks Based on Polypyrazolates 1012 5. Metal 1,2,4-Triazolate Frameworks 1014 5.1. Simple 3-Connected Networks 1015 5.2. Quasi-Imidazolates 1018 5.3. With Coordinative Substituents 1019 5.4. With Secondary Counterions and/or Ligands 1021 6. Metal 1,2,3-Triazolate Frameworks 1023 7. Metal Tetrazolate Frameworks 1025 7.1. Univalent Coinage-Metal Tetrazolate Frameworks 1025

Metal Azolate Frameworks: From Crystal Engineering to Functional Materials

In this review we intend to provide a relatively comprehensive summary of the work of supramolecular hydrogelators after 2004 and to put emphasis particularly on the applications of supramolecular hydrogels/hydrogelators as molecular biomaterials. After a brief introduction of methods for generating supramolecular hydrogels, we discuss supramolecular hydrogelators on the basis of their categories, such as small organic molecules, coordination complexes, peptides, nucleobases, and saccharides. Following molecular design, we focus on various potential applications of supramolecular hydrogels as molecular biomaterials, classified by their applications in cell cultures, tissue engineering, cell behavior, imaging, and unique applications of hydrogelators. Particularly, we discuss the applications of supramolecular hydrogelators after they form supramolecular assemblies but prior to reaching the critical gelation concentration because this subject is less explored but may hold equally great promise for helping ...

Supramolecular Hydrogelators and Hydrogels: From Soft Matter to Molecular Biomaterials

The latest advances in hepatology were presented in oral and poster presentations. In order to cover the varying subspecialties, the sessions were divided into various sections including 'Acute Liver Failure and Artificial Liver Support', 'Biliary Tract and Immunologic Liver Diseases', 'Cellular and Molecular Biology', 'Clinical and Experimental Hepatobiliary Surgery', 'Hepatotoxicity and Cell Death', 'Transport and Biliary Physiology', 'Viral Hepatitis', 'Evaluation and Treatment of Biliary Disease', 'Necrosis/Apoptosis', 'Portal Hypertension', 'Blood Flow and Vascular Disorders of Cirrhosis', 'Liver Transplantation', 'Fibrogenesis', 'Hepatocellular Carcinoma', 'Metabolism and Genetic Disease', and 'Public Policy, Epidemiology and Decision Analysis'. Drug therapy focused on treatments for viral hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis, and recurrent viral disease following liver transplant. High dose interferon therapy or various combinations of interferon/ribavirin (ICN Pharmaceuticals Inc) therapy seem to offer the best current therapy for chronic HCV. PEGylated interferon (F Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd) offers hope for treatment and histologic improvement in patients with chronic HCV. Following liver transplantation, combination interferon/ribavirin therapy may also find success, but caution with new potent immunosuppressant monoclonal antibodies is advised. For HBV, intramuscular H-BIG (NABI) appears to be effective and less costly than iv H-BIG administration following liver transplantation. Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation may hold promise over conventional ethanol injection therapy for small hepatocellular carcinoma. Autoimmune hepatitis may respond to tacrolimus therapy whereas budesonide therapy did not provide any advantage to prednisone therapy. For primary biliary cirrhosis, eicosapentate and ursodeoxycholic acid may provide benefit to some patients while silymarin from milk thistle did not provide any additional benefit. In primary sclerosing cholangitis, high dose ursodeoxycholic acid may provide benefit. Ursodeoxycholic acid may also provide benefit for mothers with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy by decreasing pruritus, lowering laboratory values and allowing deliveries to occur closer to term.

Digestive disease week 2000. American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases

Role of solvents in coordination supramolecular systems

In photodynamic therapy (PDT), the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced in the cell directly determines the therapeutic effect. Improvement in ROS concentration can be realized by reducing the glutathione (GSH) level or increasing the amount of photosensitizer. However, excessive amounts photosensitizer may cause side effects. Therefore, the development of photosensitizers that reduce GSH levels through synergistically improving ROS concentration in order to strengthen the efficacy of PDT for tumor is important. We report a nano-metal-organic framework (CuII -metalated nano-MOF {CuL-[AlOH]2 }n (MOF-2, H6 L=mesotetrakis(4-carboxylphenyl)porphyrin)) based on CuII as the active center for PDT. This MOF-2 is readily taken up by breast cancer cells, and high levels of ROS are generated under light irradiation. Meanwhile, intracellular GSH is considerably decreased owing to absorption on MOF-2; this synergistically increases ROS concentration and accelerates apoptosis, thereby enhancing the effect of PDT. Notably, based on the direct adsorption of GSH, MOF-2 showed a comparable effect with the commercial antitumor drug camptothecin in a mouse breast cancer model. This work provides strong evidence for MOF-2 as a promising new PDT candidate and anticancer drug.

Enhanced Photodynamic Therapy by Reduced Levels of Intracellular Glutathione Obtained By Employing a Nano-MOF with CuII as the Active Center.

Clinical cancer treatments nowadays still face the challenge of recurrence due to the residual cancer cells and minute lesions in surgeries or chemotherapies. To effectively address the problem, we introduce a strategy for constructing cancer cell nuclear-targeted copper sulfide nanoparticles (NPs) with a significant photothermal effect to completely kill residual cancer cells and prevent local cancer recurrence. The NPs could directly target the tumor cells and further enter the nucleus by the surface modification of RGD and TAT peptides. Under the irradiation of 980 nm near-infrared laser, the NPs rapidly increase the temperature of the nucleus, destroy the genetic substances, and ultimately lead to an exhaustive apoptosis of the cancer cells. In vivo experiments show that the designed NPs could effectively treat cancer and prevent the return of cancer with a single laser irradiation for 5 min. The photothermal therapy strategy with nuclear targeting for cancer therapy and anti-recurrence will provide m...

Nuclear-Targeted Photothermal Therapy Prevents Cancer Recurrence with Near-Infrared Triggered Copper Sulfide Nanoparticles

Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) assembled through Au-S covalent bonds have been widely used in biomolecule-sensing technologies. However, during the process, detection distortions caused by high levels of thiol compounds can still significantly influence the result and this problem has not really been solved. Based on the higher stability of Au-Se bonds compared to Au-S bonds, we prepared selenol-modified Au NPs as an Au-Se nanoplatform (NPF). Compared with the Au-S NPF, the Au-Se NPF exhibits excellent anti-interference properties in the presence of millimolar levels of glutathione (GSH). Such an Au-Se NPF that can effectively avoid detection distortions caused by high levels of thiols thus offers a new perspective in future nanomaterial design, as well as a novel platform with higher stability and selectivity for the in vivo application of chemical sensing and clinical therapies.

Avoiding Thiol Compound Interference: A Nanoplatform Based on High-Fidelity Au-Se Bonds for Biological Applications

The synthesis of hollow Ag nanoshells (NSs) with tunable plasmon bands in the visible spectrum and their oxidative-assembly into high-surface-area, mesoporous, transparent, and opaque Ag gel frameworks is reported. Thiolate-coated Ag NSs with varying size and shell thickness were prepared by fast chemical reduction of preformed Ag2O nanoparticles (NPs). These NSs were assembled into monolithic Ag hydrogels via oxidative removal of the surface thiolates, followed by CO2 supercritical drying to produce metallic Ag aerogels. The gelation kinetics have been controlled by tuning the oxidant/thiolate molar ratio (X) that governs the rate of NP condensation, which in turn determines the morphology, optical transparency, opacity, surface area, and porosity of the resultant gel frameworks. The monolithic Ag hydrogels prepared using high concentration of oxidant (X > 7.7) leads to oxidative etching of precursor colloids into significantly smaller NPs (3.2–7.6 nm), which appeared to eliminate the visible light scatt...

Oxidation-Induced Self-Assembly of Ag Nanoshells into Transparent and Opaque Ag Hydrogels and Aerogels

Bimetallic alloy aerogels (Au/Ag, Pd/Ag, Pt/Ag) have been prepared from a novel approach that involves the salt-mediated self-assembly of metal nanoshells followed by supercritical drying. These materials can be prepared as large (centimeter to inch) self-supported monoliths within a day, and the gelation kinetics can be tuned by engineering the in-situ-generated ionic strength of the precursor colloids. Resultant aerogels exhibit a continuous mesopore-to-macropore network that can be altered by the inner diameter of the precursor nanoshells and the accessibility of molecules to the inner surface of the hollows, offering new perspectives for their applications in advanced technologies. The attractive nature of this new strategy is the ability to increase the rate of self-assembly, which otherwise is an intrinsically sluggish process in the oxidation-induced NP assembly reported to date.

Xiaonan Gao

Papers

Enhanced Photodynamic Therapy by Reduced Levels of Intracellular Glutathione Obtained By Employing a Nano-MOF with CuII as the Active Center.

Nuclear-Targeted Photothermal Therapy Prevents Cancer Recurrence with Near-Infrared Triggered Copper Sulfide Nanoparticles

Avoiding Thiol Compound Interference: A Nanoplatform Based on High-Fidelity Au-Se Bonds for Biological Applications

Oxidation-Induced Self-Assembly of Ag Nanoshells into Transparent and Opaque Ag Hydrogels and Aerogels

Salt-Mediated Self-Assembly of Metal Nanoshells into Monolithic Aerogel Frameworks