X-Ray-Induced Persistent Luminescence Promotes Ultrasensitive Imaging and Effective Inhibition of Orthotopic Hepatic Tumors

Persistent luminescence imaging is accompanied by continuous illumination after the removal of excitation light, which can successfully prevent the generation of autofluorescence. In this study, a mesoporous silica template method is used to prepare uniform and monodisperse porous nanophosphors that can generate X-ray-excited persistent luminescence (XEPL). By loading photosensitizers, XEPL effectively excites the photosensitizers to produce reactive oxygen species for killing cancer cells. Imaging of orthotopic hepatic tumors in vivo shows that nanophosphors accumulate in the liver tumors through a passive targeting mechanism, as confirmed by the co-imaging of bioluminescence and X-ray-excited luminescence. Under image-guidance, X-ray-induced photodynamic therapy effectively inhibits the growth of orthotopic hepatic tumors with negligible side effects. Overall, X-ray-induced persistent luminescence promotes ultrasensitive imaging and effective inhibition of orthotopic hepatic tumors.