Dual Ratiometric SERS and Photoacoustic Core-Satellite Nanoprobe for Quantitatively Visualizing Hydrogen Peroxide in Inflammation and Cancer

Excessive production of oxidative species alters the normal redox balance and leads to diseases, such as chronic inflammation and cancer. Oxidative species are short-lived species, which makes direct, precise, and real-time measurements difficult. Herein, we report a novel core-satellite gold nanostructure for dual, ratiometric surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and photoacoustic (PA) imaging to enable the precise detection of inflammation/cancer-related H2O2. The combination of H2O2-activated second near-infrared (NIR-II) PA imaging and SERS imaging enables the differentiation between the inflamed region and normal tissue with high accuracy. The mesoporous silica shell of the nanoprobe could be used to deliver drugs to the target area to precisely treat disease. Therefore, this core-satellite nanostructure can not only quantitatively and precisely monitor H2O2 produced in inflammation, tumor, and osteoarthritis in rabbits in real-time, but can also be used to track the progress of the anti-inflammatory treatment in real-time.

Automated summary

This study introduces a novel core-satellite gold nanostructure for dual imaging, enabling precise detection and differentiation of H2O2 in inflammation/cancer-related tissues. The nanoprobe can also be used for targeted drug delivery and real-time tracking of anti-inflammatory treatment progress.