Renal Clearable Bi-Bi2S3 Heterostructure Nanoparticles for Targeting Cancer Theranostics.

Recent development of precise nanomedicine has aroused overwhelming interest in integration of diagnosis and treatment for cancers. To design renal clearable and targeting nanoparticles (NPs) have specific cancer theranostics implications and it remains a challenging task. In this work, the ultrasmall folic acid and bovine serum albumin modified Bi-Bi2S3 heterostructure nanoparticles (Bi-Bi2S3/BSA&FA NPs) with excellent CT and photoacoustic imaging abilities and outstanding photothermal performance were synthesized in aqueous phase via a simple method. Bi-Bi2S3/BSA&FA NPs have the following criteria: (i) Bi-Bi2S3/BSA&FA NPs with heterostructure possess better stability than Bi NPs and higher Bi content than Bi2S3 NPs, which are conducive to the enhancement of CT imaging effect; (ii) Bi-Bi2S3/BSA&FA NPs with folic acid molecules on the surface could target the tumor site effectively; (iii) Bi-Bi2S3/BSA&FA NPs could inhibit tumor growth effectively under 808-nm laser irradiation; (iv) Ultrasmall Bi-Bi2S3/BSA&FA NPs could be cleared through kidney and liver within a reasonable time, avoiding long-term retention/toxicity. Therefore, the renal clearable Bi-Bi2S3/BSA&FA NPs are promising agent for targeting cancer theranostics.