Mesoporous Carbon Nanospheres Featured Fluorescent Aptasensor for Multiple Diagnosis of Cancer <i>in Vitro</i> and <i>in Vivo</i>

Multiple diagnosis of cancer by a facile fluorescent sensor is extremely attractive. Herein, a Cy3-labeled ssDNA probe (P₀-Cy3) was π–π stacked on the surface of oxidized mesoporous carbon nanospheres (OMCN) to construct the fluorescent “turn-on” aptasensor. Attributing to the intrinsic properties of OMCN, the OMCN-based aptasensor not only can be used to detect mucin1 protein in liquid with a wide range of 0.1–10.6 μmol/L, a low detection limit of 6.52 nmol/L, and good selectivity, but also can quantify the cancer cells in solution with the linear range of 10⁴–2 × 10⁶ cells/mL and a detection limit of 8500 cells/mL. Fascinatingly, this OMCN-based aptasensor was exploited to image cancer via solid tissues such as cells, tissue sections, and <i>ex vivo</i> and <i>in vivo</i> tumors, in which the obvious distinguishability between cancer and normal tissues was clearly demonstrated. This is a robust and simple detection technique, which can well achieve the multiple diagnosis of cancer <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i>

Multifunctional Mesoporous Silica-Coated Graphene Nanosheet Used for Chemo-Photothermal Synergistic Targeted Therapy of Glioma

Current therapy of malignant glioma in clinic is unsatisfactory with poor patient compliance due to low therapeutic efficiency and strong systemic side effects. Herein, we combined chemo-photothermal targeted therapy of glioma within one novel multifunctional drug delivery system. A targeting peptide (IP)-modified mesoporous silica-coated graphene nanosheet (GSPI) was successfully synthesized and characterized, and first introduced to the drug delivery field. A doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded GSPI-based system (GSPID) showed heat-stimulative, pH-responsive, and sustained release properties. Cytotoxicity experiments demonstrated that combined therapy mediated the highest rate of death of glioma cells compared to that of single chemotherapy or photothermal therapy. Furthermore, the IP modification could significantly enhance the accumulation of GSPID within glioma cells. These findings provided an excellent drug delivery system for combined therapy of glioma due to the advanced chemo-photothermal synergistic targeted therapy and good drug release properties of GSPID, which could effectively avoid frequent and invasive dosing and improve patient compliance

Synthesis of Core–Shell Graphitic Carbon@Silica Nanospheres with Dual-Ordered Mesopores for Cancer-Targeted Photothermochemotherapy

Tumor site-directed multifunctional therapeutic platforms such as photothermochemotherapy that respond to tumor-focused physical and biological stimuli are highly demanded for effective cancer therapy. Herein, targeting peptide-conjugated core–shell graphitic carbon@silica nanospheres with dual-ordered mesopores (MMPS) were successfully fabricated and developed as antitumoral doxorubicin (DOX) delivery system (MMPSD) for synergistic targeted photothermal chemotherapy of breast cancer. The hydrophilic mesoporous silica shell guarantees good water dispersity of MMPSD. The hydrophobic graphitic mesoporous carbon core provides excellent hydrophobic drug loading, immediate contact between the drug and photothermal hotspots, and high NIR photothermal conversion efficiency. SP13 peptide facilitates MMPSD for targeted and enhanced delivery of DOX within HER2-positive SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells, while PEGylation ensures biocompatibility. Thus, the MMPSD system exhibited efficient drug loading capacity, high targeting ability, sensitive NIR/pH-responsive DOX release, sustained release, and excellent combined antitumor activity

MemHsp70 Receptor-mediated Multifunctional Ordered Mesoporous Carbon Nanospheres for Photoacoustic Imaging-Guided Synergistic Targeting Trimodal Therapy

Integrating multiple discrete function-related theranostic modalities into one platform for effective cancer treatments has been considered to be a challenge for current nanomedicine design. In this work, a “four-in-one” theranostic system was simply prepared and developed for photoacoustic (PA) imaging-guided synergistic targeting chemo-gene-thermo trimodal therapy of breast cancer. In this system, polyethylene glycol (PEG)-bridged polyethylenimine (PEI) and a memHsp70 receptor-targeting peptide (TKD), PPT, was uniformly capped on doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded oxidized mesoporous carbon nanospheres (OMCN) to encapsulate therapeutic genes into cancer cells via active targeting accumulation. Taking both the advantages of OMCN (high photothermal conversion, strong PA contrast, and controllable drug loading) and the hydrophilic polymer (gene vector, switchable pores’ cap, and targeting ability), the “four-in-one” theranostic system exhibited distinct PA imaging visualization, NIR/pH sensitive drug/gene release, and synergistic targeting therapeutic outcome, which were much superior than the single therapy or the combination of two treatments

Highly Crystalline Multicolor Carbon Nanodots for Dual-Modal Imaging-Guided Photothermal Therapy of Glioma

Imaging-guided site-specific photothermal therapy (PTT) of glioma and other tumors in central nervous system presents a great challenge for the current nanomaterial design. Herein, an in situ solid-state transformation method was developed for the preparation of multicolor highly crystalline carbon nanodots (HCCDs). The synthesis yields 6–8 nm-sized HCCDs containing a highly crystalline carbon nanocore and a hydrophilic surface, which therefore simultaneously provide strong photoacoustic and photothermal performances as well as tunable fluorescence emission. In vitro and in vivo results demonstrate that the novel HCCDs have high water dispersity and good biocompatibility, but potent tumor cell killing upon near-infrared irradiation. As demonstrated in U87 glioma-bearing mice, HCCDs specifically accumulate in brain tumors and facilitate dual-modal imaging-guided PTT, with therapeutic antitumoral effects without any apparent damage to normal tissues