# Persistent luminescence nanoparticles for cancer theranostics application

## TL;DR

This review explores how persistent luminescence nanoparticles can be used for both imaging and treating cancer, offering advantages like high sensitivity and deep tissue penetration.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive review of recent advances in the synthesis, functionalization, and cancer theranostic applications of persistent luminescence nanoparticles.

## Key findings

- PLNPs enable autofluorescence-free, high-sensitivity in vivo tumor imaging with multiple excitation sources.
- PLNPs can be functionalized with therapeutic agents for imaging-guided cancer therapies like photothermal and photodynamic therapy.
- Toxicity studies and multimodal imaging capabilities of PLNPs are summarized for translational medicine applications.

## Abstract

Persistent luminescence nanoparticles (PLNPs) are unique optical materials that emit afterglow luminescence after ceasing excitation. They exhibit unexpected advantages for in vivo optical imaging of tumors, such as autofluorescence-free, high sensitivity, high penetration depth, and multiple excitation sources (UV light, LED, NIR laser, X-ray, and radiopharmaceuticals). Besides, by incorporating other functional molecules, such as photosensitizers, photothermal agents, or therapeutic drugs, PLNPs are also widely used in persistent luminescence (PersL) imaging-guided tumor therapy. In this review, we first summarize the recent developments in the synthesis and surface functionalization of PLNPs, as well as their toxicity studies. We then discuss the in vivo PersL imaging and multimodal imaging from different excitation sources. Furthermore, we highlight PLNPs-based cancer theranostics applications, such as fluorescence-guided surgery, photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, drug/gene delivery and combined therapy. Finally, future prospects and challenges of PLNPs in the research of translational medicine are also discussed.