Development of a self-assembling aggregation-induced emission nanoprobe for targeted therapy and real-time imaging in non-small cell lung cancer

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, characterized by poor prognosis and high relapse rates due to the limited therapeutic efficacy and tumor specificity of existing treatments. In this study, we developed a novel self-assembling aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-based nanomaterial (AIEnp) designed to target c-Met, a receptor tyrosine kinase that plays a critical role in tumor progression and resistance in NSCLC. The AIEnp system exhibits dual functionality: it enables fluorescence tracing for real-time imaging and provides targeted c-Met inhibition for therapeutic intervention. In vitro experiments demonstrated that AIEnp significantly reduced the viability of A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells in a concentration-dependent manner, while exhibiting minimal cytotoxicity toward HEK293T somatic cells. Mechanistically, AIEnp downregulated c-Met expression and its downstream signaling pathways, including FAK, MAPK, RAF, and STAT, thereby effectively disrupting multiple oncogenic cascades. The AIE-based design facilitated tumor-specific accumulation and fluorescence tracing, addressing the limitations of poor tumor penetration and non-specific distribution commonly observed in conventional therapies. These findings suggest that AIEnp represents a promising multifunctional platform for NSCLC treatment, combining targeted therapy with real-time imaging capabilities. Future studies will focus on in vivo validation and exploring the potential of AIEnps in combination therapies to further enhance their clinical applicability.

Comments (0)

No login
gif