Open AccessArticle
Liposomal IR-780 as a Highly Stable Nanotheranostic Agent for Improved Photothermal/Photodynamic Therapy of Brain Tumors by Convection-Enhanced Delivery
by
1,2,3,†, 1,4,†
, 1
and 4,5,6,7,*
1
Department of Neurosurgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Kwei-San, Taoyuan 33305, Taiwan
2
College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Kwei-San, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan
3
Center for Biomedical Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan
4
Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Chang Gung University, Kwei-San, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan
5
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Craniofacial Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Kwei-San, Taoyuan 33305, Taiwan
6
Research Center for Food and Cosmetic Safety, Research Center for Chinese Herbal Medicine, College of Human Ecology, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan 33305, Taiwan
7
Department of Materials Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, Tai-Shan, New Taipei City 24301, Taiwan
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Academic Editor: Clare Hoskins
Received: 21 May 2021
/
Revised: 19 July 2021
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Accepted: 19 July 2021
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Published: 22 July 2021
Simple Summary
To improve the use of hydrophobic photosensitizer IR-780 in photothermal/photodynamic therapy (PTT/PDT), we entrap IR-780 within the lipid bilayer of liposomes (ILs). Compared to free IR-780, ILs showed well-preserved photothermal response by maintaining the photostability of IR-780 from repeated near infrared (NIR) laser exposure both in vitro and in vivo. Combined with fast endocytosis by human glioblastoma cells, ILs demonstrated enhanced cytotoxicity and induced higher cell apoptosis rate toward human glioblastoma cells over free IR-780, due to PTT with overexpression of heat shock protein and PDT with generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species. To overcome the blood–brain barrier, we used convection enhanced delivery (CED) for specific delivery of ILs to brain tumors in intracranial glioma xenograft. Upon three successive NIR laser irradiations, the liposomal IR-780 could significantly improve the anti-cancer efficacy in glioma treatment, leading to diminished intracranial tumor size and prolonged animal survival time.