AniView Supports Glioblastoma Theranostics Research: NIR-II Photoacoustic Dual-Responsive Hyaluronic Acid–Coated Nanozyme for Targeted Theranostics of Glioblastoma

New progress has been made in near-infrared II (NIR-II) photoacoustic dual-responsive hyaluronic acid–coated nanozyme–based targeted theranostics for glioblastoma.

Researchers Wu Xilong and Wu Yundi from Hainan University have made progress in the field of glioblastoma-targeted therapy. Their findings were published in the internationally recognized journal “International Journal of Biological Macromolecules” (IF = 8.5, Q1 top journal).

This study provides a multifunctional nanoplatform integrating NIR-II imaging, photothermal therapy, sonodynamic therapy, and catalytic therapy for precise diagnosis and treatment of glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive and heterogeneous astrocytoma. Its intracranial location, highly invasive growth pattern, and resistance to conventional therapies make it a major challenge in neuro-oncology. The presence of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) severely hinders the efficient delivery of therapeutic drugs such as temozolomide to tumor sites. In addition, the lack of precise control over drug localization easily leads to significant off-target toxicity, collectively resulting in extremely poor prognosis for GBM patients.

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT), due to its unique advantages of deep tissue penetration of ultrasound without depth limitation, has emerged as a promising strategy for intracranial tumor treatment. Combined with microbubbles (MBs), it can transiently open the BBB and improve drug delivery efficiency. However, the hypoxic nature of the tumor microenvironment (TME) limits the generation of oxygen-dependent reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the rapid recombination of electron–hole pairs during ultrasound activation further reduces SDT efficacy. Nanozymes, as artificial materials with intrinsic enzyme-mimicking catalytic activity, can decompose overexpressed hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and glucose to alleviate tumor hypoxia and increase oxygen availability, providing a strategy to enhance SDT efficacy. In addition, second near-infrared (NIR-II) light offers strong tissue penetration capability and significant potential for deep-tissue precision theranostics. However, in glioblastoma treatment, gaps still exist, particularly in BBB penetration and combined therapeutic strategies, highlighting the urgent need to develop integrated platforms with targeted delivery, multimodal therapy, and real-time monitoring functions.

Based on this, the study successfully designed and constructed a multifunctional BAA-HA nanoplatform that integrates SDT, photothermal therapy (PTT), catalytic therapy, and NIR-II fluorescence imaging for precise glioblastoma theranostics. The Schottky heterojunction formed between borophene nanosheets and gold nanoparticles enhances charge carrier separation efficiency, thereby increasing ROS generation under ultrasound stimulation. The platform’s glucose oxidase-like and catalase-like cascade catalytic activities alleviate tumor hypoxia and induce immunogenic cell death (ICD). Meanwhile, ultrasound-assisted microbubble technology enables transient opening of the BBB, and hyaluronic acid (HA) enables precise targeting delivery through specific recognition of CD44 receptors. In addition, the NIR-II fluorescence properties of Ag₂S allow real-time monitoring of the therapeutic process. In vivo and in vitro experiments confirmed that BAA-HA exhibited good biosafety with no obvious systemic toxicity. The combination treatment group (BAA-HA + ultrasound + laser) showed the most significant tumor inhibition effect, markedly reducing tumor volume and extending the survival time of tumor-bearing mice, providing a new strategy with both precision and efficacy for deep tumor therapy. Future work will focus on clinical translation optimization of this platform, exploration of its potential in other deep-seated malignant tumors, and further improvement of diagnostic and therapeutic functions to enhance patient prognosis.

Experiments using Gelview

In this study, the AniView in vivo imaging system developed by Guangzhou Biolight Co., Ltd. was used for evaluating the antitumor efficacy of BAA-HA against orthotopic glioblastoma in mouse models. The entire treatment period lasted 14 days, and five experimental groups were established: (I) PBS + ultrasound + laser, (II) BAA-HA, (III) BAA-HA + laser, (IV) BAA-HA + ultrasound, and (V) BAA-HA + ultrasound + laser. Tumor progression was monitored on 0, 3, 5, 10, and 14 days using bioluminescence imaging. The results showed that, compared with other groups, group V exhibited a significant reduction in tumor bioluminescence intensity. The tumor inhibition effects in groups I and II were almost negligible, while groups III and IV showed moderate therapeutic efficacy.