An all-in-one PEGylated NIR-II conjugated polymer for high-resolution blood circulation imaging and photothermal immunotherapy.

Abstract

Fluorescence imaging in the second near-infrared window (NIR-II) has shown tremendous potential for in vivo monitoring of biological processes, offering high spatial resolution and real-time imaging capabilities. Conjugated polymers, commonly used as photothermal agents (PTAs) in photothermal therapy, have emerged as promising candidates for NIR-II imaging. However, their imaging efficiency is compromised by aggregation, which arises from strong π-π stacking interactions between their extended π-conjugated backbones. In this work, we designed a novel conjugated polymer (CP) and developed an integrated nanoplatform (CPN-PEG_nk, n = 2 or 5) through PEGylation. Notably, CPN-PEG_5k exhibited a red-shift in NIR absorption along with a marked increase in NIR-II fluorescence intensity (2.97 folds greater) compared to physically encapsulated nanoparticles (F127@CPN). Furthermore, CPN-PEG_5k retained a remarkable photothermal conversion efficiency of up to 58.6%. The exceptional NIR-II imaging performance of CPN-PEG_5k was validated in detailed blood circulation imaging in mice, with a signal-to-background ratio of 8.9. In addition, in a breast cancer mouse model, CPN-PEG_5k successfully eradicated tumors and stimulated immune responses, effectively suppressing tumor progression and metastasis. These findings underscore the potential of CPN-PEG_5k in advancing conjugated polymer applications for NIR-II imaging.