Precise Modulation of Gold Nanorods for Protecting against Malignant Ventricular Arrhythmias via Near-Infrared Neuromodulation

Hyperactivity of the left stellate ganglion (LSG) contributes to the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs). Recently, advances in neuromodulation have been achieved with near-infrared (NIR)-sensitive gold nanorods (AuNRs). Here, AuNRs are precisely regulated and applied to inhibit LSG function as well as neural activity, thus ameliorating myocardial ischemia-induced VAs in a canine model. Specifically, the optimized AuNRs are synthesized and microinjected into the LSG of anesthetized dogs, and then followed by 5 min of NIR laser irradiation at a wavelength of 808 nm. The results demonstrate that 5 min NIR laser irradiation on the PEG-AuNR-treated LSG can reversely inhibit LSG function and neural activity, thereby ameliorating myocardial ischemia-induced VAs. With the tissue-penetrating NIR and excellent photothermal effect of AuNRs, this method may become a promising and noninvasive therapeutic strategy for suppressing hyperactivity of the cardiac sympathetic nerves, therefore benefiting patients with VAs in the future.