Bimetallic Oxide MnMoO_X Nanorods for in Vivo Photoacoustic Imaging of GSH and Tumor-Specific Photothermal Therapy

Abstract

Accurate imaging of glutathione (GSH) in vivo is able to provide real-time visualization of physiological and pathological conditions. Herein, we successfully synthesize bimetallic oxide MnMoO_X nanorods as an intelligent nanoprobe for in vivo GSH detection via photoacoustic (PA) imaging. The obtained MnMoO_X nanoprobe with no near-infrared (NIR) absorption in the absence of GSH would exhibit strong GSH-responsive NIR absorbance, endowing PA imaging detection of GSH. Due to the up-regulated GSH concentration in the tumor microenvironment, our MnMoO_X nanoprobe could be utilized for in vivo tumor-specific PA imaging. Moreover, MnMoO_X nanorods with GSH-responsive NIR absorbance could also be employed to achieve tumor-specific photothermal therapy (PTT). Importantly, such MnMoO_X nanorods show inherent biodegradability and could be rapidly cleared out from the body, minimizing their long-term body retention and potential toxicity. Our work presents a new type of GSH-responsive nanoprobe based on bimetallic oxide nanostructures, promising for tumor-specific imaging and therapy.