Near Infrared‐Fluorescent Dinuclear Iridium(III) Nanoparticles for Immunogenic Sonodynamic Therapy

• Published in: Advanced materials (Weinheim) 2024-09, Vol.36 (38), p.e2406815-n/a
• Main Authors: Tang, Dongsheng, Cui, Minhui, Wang, Bin, Xu, Chun, Cao, Zheng, Guo, Jin, Xiao, Haihua, Shang, Kun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cancer; Cell death; dinuclear iridium(III); Fluorescence; immunogenic sonodynamic therapy; Iridium compounds; Nanoparticles; near infrared‐fluorescent; Synergistic effect; Therapy; Tumors; Xenotransplantation
• ISSN: 0935-9648; 1521-4095; 1521-4095
• DOI: 10.1002/adma.202406815

Dinuclear iridium(III) complexes activated by light‐inducible spatiotemporal control are emerging as promising candidates for cancer therapy. However, broader applications of current light‐activated dinuclear iridium(III) complexes are limited by the ineffective tissue penetration and undesirable feedback on guidance activation. Here, an ultrasound (US) triggered near infrared‐fluorescent dinuclear iridium(III) nanoparticle, NanoIr, is first reported to precisely and spatiotemporally inhibit tumor growth. It is demonstrated that reactive oxygen species can be generated by NanoIr upon exposure to US irradiation (NanoIr + US), thereby inducing immunogenic cell death. When combined with cisplatin, NanoIr + US elicits synergistic effects in patient‐derived tumor xenograft mice models of ovarian cancer. This work first provides a design of dinuclear iridium(III) nanoparticles for immunogenic sonodynamic therapy. An ultrasound‐triggered, near‐infrared fluorescent dinuclear iridium(III) nanoparticle, NanoIr, is reported to precisely and spatiotemporally generate reactive oxygen species for immunogenic sonodynamic therapy. Upon exposure to ultrasound irradiation, NanoIr inhibits tumor growth in CT26 tumor‐bearing mice and elicits synergistic effects with the clinically approved chemotherapy drug cisplatin in patient‐derived xenograft models of ovarian cancer.