Targeted delivery of Bi2Se3 Nanoflowers to orthotopic liver tumor via transarterial infusion for enhanced microwave ablation sensibilization

Abstract Microwave ablation (MWA) is acknowledged as one of the optimal therapeutic strategies for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Unfortunately, inadequate MWA at high-risk sites is very common in clinic owing to the scruple of probable damage to adjacent vital organs, which eventually leads to recurrence of residual tumors. Herein, we synthesize novel Bi2Se3 nanoflowers (NFs) which possess the peculiarity of microwave sensibilization and explore their sensitization capability both in vitro and in vivo. The as-prepared NFs exhibits remarkable heating capacity under microwave irradiation compared to deionized water, mainly due to the multilayered petal structures that could strongly increase the reflectivity of microwave and stimulate the motion of water molecules. More importantly, we recruit clinically available transarterial infusion (TAI) method for precisely targeted delivery of Bi2Se3 NFs to tumor site and perform sequential MWA on orthotopic liver tumor. In addition, the high Z element containing Bi2Se3 NFs could realize efficient computed tomography to monitor the therapeutic process. What’s more, no obvious cell and organic toxicity are observed during the experimental period, which further verifies the good biocompatibility of Bi2Se3 NFs. In this work, we utilize minimally invasive TAI for targeted delivery of microwave sensitive nanoflowers to improve MWA efficacy at tumor site and reduce side effect in normal tissues, which provides a neoteric theoretical and experimental strategy for clinical interventional therapy of HCC.