Development of Ultrasound-Responsive Biogenic Gas Vesicles as Multifunctional Theranostic Carriers for Enhanced Cancer Therapy
Nanobubbles, as a kind of special nanoparticles, have been investigated as theranostic particles in caner nanomedicine. Their nano-size enables them to exploit the enhanced permeability and retention(EPR) effects to extravasate tumor vessels and accumulate in the tumor site. Despite the huge potential of nanobubbles for ultrasonic molecular imaging as well as nanocarrier for gas and drug delivery for tumor therapy, stabilization is still a big limitation of nanobubbles that could affect their function. Gas vesicles (GVs), as a novel kind of nanoparticle, which are naturally occurring gas-filled microcavities, formed by archaea or cyanobacteria as means to control buoyancy for optimal access to light and nutrients in water. Recently reported gas vesicles (GVs)(Shapiro, M. G., Nat Nanotechnol 2014; Lakshmanan, A., ACS Nano 2016; Bourdeau, R. W., Nature 2018) have been demonstrated as the first biomolecular acoustic reporters with gene editability and inherent stability. Here, the theranostic potential of GVs for cancer treatment is investigated in this study. First, GVs mediated molecular ultrasound imaging was determined. Meanwhile, the therapeutic potential of GVs for sonodynamic therapy was also explored both in vitro and in vivo. Besides, the potential of GVs as a new kind of oxygen carrier to alleviate tumor hypoxia was detected.
