ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1605048
This article is part of the Research TopicBreakthroughs in Immune Checkpoint Therapy: Overcoming Resistance with Novel TechniquesView all articles
PA/MR Imaging-Guided Precision Phototherapy and Efficacy Evaluation of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Utilizing a Targeted Multifunctional Nanoprobe
Provisionally accepted
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, Changsha, China
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Early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) poses a significant challenge due to its poor prognosis, necessitating advancements in diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.The integration of near-infrared photoacoustic (PA) imaging with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging offers enhanced temporal and spatial resolution, exceptional optical contrast, and profound tissue penetration, positioning this combination as a highly promising technique for accurate and sensitive HCC diagnosis. In this study, we developed a multifunctional and highly biocompatible nanoplatform, designated as ICG/Mn-PDA-PEG-CXCR4 (IMPP-c). This nanoplatform is designed to diagnose and treat early-stage HCC through PA/MR imaging-guided noninvasive photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT). Both in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated enhanced accumulation of IMPP-c nanoparticles (NPs) within HCC. Notably, the dual-modal PA/MR imaging facilitated by IMPP-c achieved high resolution and substantial deep tissue penetration, enabling precise localization of early orthotopic small hepatocellular carcinoma (SHCC) lesions. In vivo tumor phototherapy experiments, guided by PA/MR imaging, revealed that SHCC was completely eradicated through noninvasive PTT/PDT without recurrence. Additionally, the metabolism of IMPP-c NPs was observed in major organs throughout the treatment process, confirming its reliable biocompatibility. This study introduces a novel method for diagnosing and implementing non-invasive therapeutic interventions in early HCC using nanoparticle systems such as IMPP-c, paving the way for potential future clinical applications.
Keywords: Photoacoustic (PA) imaging, Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, Photothermal therapy (PTT), Photodynamic therapy (PDT), Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Received: 02 Apr 2025; Accepted: 22 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Qi, Zhou, Liu, Shen, Yao, Tian, Liu, cheng and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Shuo Qi, Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, Changsha, China
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