All‐in‐One Zeolite–Carbon‐Based Nanotheranostics with Adjustable NIR‐II Window Photoacoustic/Fluorescence Imaging Performance for Precise NIR‐II Photothermal‐Synergized Catalytic Antitumor Therapy

Abstract

In the second near-infrared (NIR-II) biowindow, multimodal optical imaging-guided precise antitumor therapy is a novel strategy for high-efficiency tumor theranostics, however, the all-in-one dual NIR-II photoacoustic (NIR-II PA) and NIR-II fluorescence (NIR-II FL) nanoprobes have been rarely reported mainly due to the short of a simple and universal design approach. Herein, a NIR-II PA/NIR-II FL imaging-adjustable nanozyme (HSC-2) is designed and developed to guide precise photothermal-catalytic synergistic therapy. Based on the ionic liquids adsorption capacity, the electronic structure of zeolite nano-Beta (three dimensional 12-ring pore system and large surface area) can be turned from the indirect band gap to direct band gap via doping carbon in the framework, resulting in outstanding NIR-II FL emission characteristics. As the silicon etching reaction proceeds, HSC-2 shows superior dual-modal NIR-II PA/NIR-II FL imaging performance facilitated by the optimal silicon-to-carbon ratio, simultaneously ensuring efficient tumor photothermal therapy (PTT) in the NIR-II window. Impressively, the peroxidase-mimic activity of HSC-2 in the tumor microenvironment could be further remarkably enhanced by its photothermal effect, leading to excellent synergistic PTT/catalytic therapy. Moreover, the HSC-2 exhibits dual-enzyme activity, and its catalase-like property could effectively eliminate excessive ROS for protection of the normal cells.