Electrical Sensitive Trianthracene Nanoparticle for Afterglow Imaging Epileptic Abnormal Discharges

Abnormal discharge during epileptic seizures monitoring is essential for epilepsy treatment, but current imaging methods present challenges. In this study, we developed afterglow nanoparticles (TA-NPs), composed of a trianthracene derivative (TA) and amphiphilic polymer PSMA, for in vivo detection of cumulative abnormal brain discharge in epilepsy models. TA-NPs exhibit the ability to respond to external current stimulation, along with a turn-off trend in the afterglow intensity, while keeping intact under normal neuronal activity. Application in an acute epilepsy model demonstrated that afterglow intensity correlated with current parameters in the brain, aligning with in vitro results. Furthermore, curcumin pretreatment reduced epileptic discharge and led to distinguishable changes in the afterglow response of TA-NPs, confirming their sensitivity to cumulative electrical abnormalities. These nanoparticles offer a promising tool for studying abnormal electrical discharges accumulated in the brain of epilepsy.