Precise Modulation of Gold Nanorods for Protecting against Malignant Ventricular Arrhythmias via Near‐Infrared Neuromodulation

Abstract Hyperactivity of the left stellate ganglion (LSG) contributes to the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs). Recently, advances in neuromodulation have been achieved with near‐infrared (NIR)‐sensitive gold nanorods (AuNRs). Here, AuNRs are precisely regulated and applied to inhibit LSG function as well as neural activity, thus ameliorating myocardial ischemia‐induced VAs in a canine model. Specifically, the optimized AuNRs are synthesized and microinjected into the LSG of anesthetized dogs, and then followed by 5 min of NIR laser irradiation at a wavelength of 808 nm. The results demonstrate that 5 min NIR laser irradiation on the PEG‐AuNR‐treated LSG can reversely inhibit LSG function and neural activity, thereby ameliorating myocardial ischemia‐induced VAs. With the tissue‐penetrating NIR and excellent photothermal effect of AuNRs, this method may become a promising and noninvasive therapeutic strategy for suppressing hyperactivity of the cardiac sympathetic nerves, therefore benefiting patients with VAs in the future.