Functionalization of second harmonic generation nanoparticles for theranostic applications

Nowadays, cancer is the leading cause of death in developed countries. The emergence of new multimodal nanodevices for in vivo imaging offers the perspective of cancer detection at a very early stage.[1] The recent progress in... [ view full abstract ]

Nowadays, cancer is the leading cause of death in developed countries. The emergence of new multimodal nanodevices for in vivo imaging offers the perspective of cancer detection at a very early stage.[1] The recent progress in nanotechnologies has generated high expectation that nanomaterials could provide unprecedented contrast agents in imaging set-ups and multifunctional platforms for drug delivery.[2] In this context, harmonic nanoparticles (HNPs), which are composed by non-centrosymmetric materials, can be easily imaged by their second harmonic generation signal in multiphoton imaging platforms.[3]

We recently disclosed efficient protocols for the biocompatible coating [4] and post-functionalization of bismuth ferrite (BiFeO₃, BFO) and LiNbO₃ HNPs as well as their favorable properties for targeted imaging of human cancer cells and tissue.[5] We report therein the conjugation of BFO HNPs to caged molecular cargos through a photocleavable linker based on coumarinyl and o-nitrobenzyl derivatives. Excitation of these functionalized HNPs in the visible or near IR region generated second harmonic UV emission [6] and subsequent selective release of the conjugated drug models.

These multifunctional HNPs offer the possibility for decoupled imaging modality and photo-activation process by tuning the wavelength of the excitation beam.

References

[1] Smith, L.; Kuncic, Z.; Ostrikov, K. K.; Kumar, S. J. Nanomater. 2012, Article ID 891318, 7 pages.

[2] Bogart, L. K.; Pourroy, G.; Murphy, C. J.; Puntes, V.; Pellegrino, T.; Rosenblum, D.; Peer, D.; Lévy, R. ACS Nano 2014, 8, 3107-3122. 

[3] Bonacina, L. Mol. Pharm. 2012, 10, 783-792.

[4] Staedler, D.; Passemard, S.; Magouroux, T.; Rogov, A.; Maguire, C. M.; Mohamed, B. M.; Schwung, S.; Rytz, D.; Juestel, T.; Hwu, S.; Mugnier, Y.; Le Dantec, R.; Volkov, Y.; Gerber-Lemaire, S.; Prina-Mello, A.; Bonacina, L.; Wolf, J.-P. Nanomedicine: NBM 2015, 11, 815-824.

[5] Passemard, S.; Staedler, D.; Sonego, G.; Magouroux, T.; Schneiter, G. S.; Juillerat-Jeanneret, L.; Bonacina, L.; Gerber-Lemaire, S. J. Nanopart. Res. 2015, 17:414; 

[6] Staedler, D.; Magouroux, T.; Passemard, S.; Schwung, S.; Dubled, M.; Schneiter, G. S.; Rytz, D.; Gerber-Lemaire, S.; Bonacina, L.; Wolf, J.-P. Nanoscale 2014, 6, 2929-2936.