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.