Optimization of long afterglow nanoparticles with enhanced photothermal effects: NIR imaging combined with cuproptosis strategy for choroidal melanoma therapy.

Long afterglow materials are advantageous for autofluorescence imaging because they do not require real-time excitation. However, long afterglow materials still have limitations, such as uncontrollable size and single luminescent function. It is essential to further design the size and composite structure of long afterglow materials according to specific application requirements. In this study, long afterglow materials were precisely controlled and optimized in terms of their size and luminescence, serving as the core of the imaging carrier (ZGGO) and enhancing the photothermal effect. After further combining with GSH depletion and cuproptosis strategy, a three-layer core-shell structure (ZGGO@SS@Cu/ZIF-8-ICG:DC_AC50@HA, ZSIDH) was formed, measuring less than 200 nm. It is worth mentioning that ZSIDH elicited minimal to no inflammatory response in the eyes of tumor-bearing mice after a 2-week therapy, and the tumors were almost completely cured, highlighting its excellent biocompatibility and therapeutic efficacy in vivo. Comprehensive experimental findings demonstrate that precisely regulated long afterglow materials hold tremendous application potential in tumor therapy, even within the complex structural environment of the eyeball.