NIR laser-activated, indocyanine green-loaded bovine serum albumin nanoparticles: An established ingestible photosensitizer for a novel approach to controlling vector-borne organisms

In this study, we proposed a novel application of an established material by developing ingestible nanoparticles made from bovine serum albumin loaded with indocyanine green. These nanoparticles, referred to as ICG@BSA NPs, response to near infrared (NIR) laser exposure by generating reactive oxygen species. This process, known as photodynamic therapy (PDT), is designed to targeted kill vector-borne organisms. As a representative model of vectors, housefly larvae trended to uptake more protein-based ICG@BSA NPs than free ICG. This led neither to an obvious influence on larval development nor to a significant impact on the intestinal microbial population. In contrast, under NIR laser irradiation, ICG@BSA NPs could efficiently induce generation of ROS for killing larvae via damaging intestinal wall and inducing subsequent intestinal bacteria leakage. This protein-based ingestible nanoparticles integrate the independence of pesticides, pronounced PDT efficacy, and environmental friendliness, making this nanoplatform promising for controlling vector-borne organisms and associated diseases.