Near‐Infrared Fluorescent Ag2Se–Cetuximab Nanoprobes for Targeted Imaging and Therapy of Cancer

Theranostic nanoprobes integrated with diagnostic imaging and therapy capabilities have shown great potential for highly effective tumor therapy by realizing imaging‐guided drug delivery and tumor treatment. Developing novel high‐performance nanoprobes is an important basis for tumor theranostic application. Here, near‐infrared (NIR) fluorescent and low‐biotoxicity Ag 2 Se quantum dots (QDs) have been coupled with cetuximab, a clinical antiepidermal growth factor receptor antibody drug for tumor therapy, via a facile bioconjugation strategy to prepare multifunctional Ag 2 Se–cetuximab nanoprobes. Compared with the Ag 2 Se QDs alone, the Ag 2 Se–cetuximab nanoprobes display faster and more enrichment at the site of orthotopic tongue cancer, and thus present better NIR fluorescence contrast between the tumor and the surrounding regions. At 24 h postinjection, the NIR fluorescence of Ag 2 Se–cetuximab nanoprobes at the tumor site is still easily detectable, whereas no fluorescence is observed for the Ag 2 Se QDs. Moreover, the Ag 2 Se–cetuximab nanoprobes have also significantly inhibited the tumor growth and improved the survival rate of orthotopic tongue cancer‐bearing nude mice from 0% to 57.1%. Taken together, the constructed multifunctional Ag 2 Se–cetuximab nanoprobes have achieved combined targeted imaging and therapy of orthotopic tongue cancer, which may greatly contribute to the development of nanotheranostics.