Engineering a NIR-II Fluorescence/Photoacoustic Imaging Nano Phototherapy Reagent for Combined Photodynamic and Photothermal Therapies for Tumor

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT), as two advanced noninvasive optical therapeutic strategies, have attracted considerable attention for their high spatiotemporal selectivity and minimal side effects. However, most existing synergistic therapeutic systems rely on multicomponent nanocomposites, whose complex design and preparation as well as cumbersome operation severely limit their application. Therefore, developing single-component therapeutic agents capable of synergistically achieving both PDT and PTT under a single excitation wavelength has emerged as a frontier and core challenge in this field. Herein, a 1,4-diethyldecahydroquinoline ring was introduced into the cyanine backbone structure to construct a novel phototherapeutic agent, IR805, with good stability and both PDT and PTT functions. Importantly, the nanomodified NanoIR805-PEG nanoparticles could effectively kill tumor cells or eliminate tumors in both in vitro and in vivo antitumor processes. This study will provide new ideas and insights into constructing new types of phototherapeutic agents with both PDT and PTT functions.