Bladder Cancer Photodynamic Therapeutic Agent with Off‐On Magnetic Resonance Imaging Enhancement

What is it about?

Acting as an extracellular matrix protein receptor, aVb3 integrin becomes an appealing target for photodynamic therapy of bladder cancer. Here, specific aVb3-integrin-targeting porphyrinato-gadolinium complexes (Gd-PEG-Rn) are demonstrated as off-on theranostic agents, where Rn are specific peptides. Among them, Gd-PEG-R3 shows both impressive phototherapeutic index and robust in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signal enhancement. Significant selectivity of Gd-PEG-R3 is proven by its high aVb3 integrin binding affinity in positive bladder cancer cells. All these findings support Gd-PEG-R3 as a promising bi-functional medical agent with both MRI contrasting ability and photodynamic therapeutic potential for curing bladder cancer

Featured Image