Preparation of photothermal palmitic acid/cholesterol liposomes.

Indocyanine green (ICG) is the only FDA-approved near-infrared dye and it is currently used clinically for diagnostic applications. However, there is significant interest in using ICG for triggered drug delivery applications and heat ablation therapy. Unfortunately, free ICG has a short half-life in vivo and is rapidly cleared from circulation.

Visible light and near-infrared-responsive chromophores for drug delivery-on-demand applications.

The need for temporal-spatial control over the release of biologically active molecules has motivated efforts to engineer novel drug delivery-on-demand strategies actuated via light irradiation. Many systems, however, have been limited to in vitro proof-of-concept due to biocompatibility issues with the photo-responsive moieties or the light wavelength, intensity, and duration. To overcome these limitations, this paper describes a light actuated drug delivery-on-demand strategy that uses visible and near-infrared (NIR) light and biocompatible chromophores: cardiogreen, methylene blue, and riboflavin.