Highly photostable croconium dye-anchored cell membrane vesicle for tumor pH-responsive duplex imaging-guided photothermal therapy

The development of tumor acidic microenvironment-responsive theranostic agents is a research hotspot. Herein, we developed highly photostable amphiphilic croconium dye-anchored red blood cell membrane vesicle (denoted as LET-5) for tumor pH-responsive near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) and photoacoustic (PA) duplex imaging-guided photothermal therapy. In tumor acidic microenvironment, both NIRF and PA signals of LET-5 were significantly enhanced and the photothermal effect of LET-5 was activated. Notably, cell membrane based vesicle with enhanced stability and long blood circulation significantly improved the tumor accumulation of croconium dye, thus achieving better therapeutic effect than free croconium dye. These findings provide a promising approach to construct amphiphilic dye-anchored cell membrane vesicle for cancer theranostics.

Automated summary

The research focused on developing tumor acidic microenvironment-responsive theranostic agents. The highly photostable amphiphilic croconium dye-anchored red blood cell membrane vesicle (LET-5) showed enhanced NIRF and PA signals in the tumor acidic microenvironment, along with activated photothermal effect. The use of cell membrane-based vesicles improved the stability and blood circulation of the drug, resulting in better therapeutic outcomes in tumor treatment.