Open AccessEnhanced Triggering of Local Anesthetic Particles by Photosensitization and Photothermal Effect Using a Common Wavelength
Author(s) -
Alina Y. Rwei,
Bruce Wang,
Tianjiao Ji,
Changyou Zhan,
Daniel S. Kohane
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
nano letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.853
H-Index - 488
eISSN - 1530-6992
pISSN - 1530-6984
DOI - 10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b04176
Subject(s) - photosensitizer , photothermal therapy , topical anesthetic , materials science , irradiation , liposome , biophysics , nanotechnology , chemistry , biomedical engineering , photochemistry , anesthetic , anesthesia , medicine , physics , nuclear physics , biology
On-demand pain relief systems would be very helpful additions to the armamentarium of pain management. Near-infrared triggered drug delivery systems have demonstrated the potential to provide such care. However, challenges remain in making such systems as stimulus-sensitive as possible, to enhance depth of tissue penetration, repeatability of triggering, and safety. Here we developed liposomes containing the local anesthetic tetrodotoxin and also containing a photosensitizer and gold nanorods that were excitable at the same near-infrared wavelength. The combination of triggering mechanisms enhanced the photosensitivity and repeatability of the system in vitro when compared with liposomes with a single photoresponsive component. In vivo, on-demand local anesthesia could be induced with a low irradiance and short irradiation duration, and liposomes containing both photosensitizer and gold nanorods were more effective than those containing just one photoresponsive component. Tissue reaction was benign.