Tumor fibroblast specific activation of a hybrid ferritin nanocage-based optical probe for tumor microenvironment imaging

Abstract

Ferritin-based FAP-α-responsive fluorescence nanoprobes could be activated immediately as they penetrate the tumor blood vessels and come across the FAP-α molecules on the membrane of CAFs in the tumor microenvironment instead of reaching a certain depth into tumor tissue to interact with tumor cells. This probe may become a promising nanomaterial for highly specific and sensitive tumor imaging through responding to the enzymes in the tumor microenvironment.

Keywords: cancer-associated fibroblasts; ferritin; fibroblast activation protein-α; imaging; nanotechnology.