Scaffolds biomimicking macrophages for a glioblastoma NIR-Ib imaging guided photothermal therapeutic strategy by crossing Blood-Brain Barrier

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most malignant cancers, and Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) is the main obstacle to diagnose and treat GBM, hence scientists are making great efforts to develop new drugs which can pass BBB and integrate diagnosis and therapeutics together. Here, we designed plasma membrane of macrophage camouflaged DSPE-PEG loaded near-infrared Ib (NIR-Ib) fluorescence dye IR-792 nanoparticles (MDINPs). MDINPs were able to penetrate BBB and selectively accumulate at tumor site, and then could be used as NIR-Ib fluorescence probes for targeted tumor imaging. At the same time, MDINPs could kill tumor cells by photothermal effect. Our results showed that MDINPs-mediated NIR-Ib fluorescence imaging could clearly observe orthotopic GBM, and the NIR-Ib imaging-guided photothermal therapy significantly suppressed the growth of GBM and prolonged the life of mice. This work not only provided a method to mimic the biological function of macrophage, but also provided an integrative strategy for diagnosis and treatment in GBM.