The recent advances of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have made them the ideal “partner” for a variety of biological applications. In this review, we describe the emerging biological optical applications of UCNPs, focus on their potential therapeutic advantages. Firstly, we briefly review the development and mechanisms of upconversion luminescence, including organic and inorganic UCNPs. Next, in the section on UCNPs for imaging and detection, we list the development of UCNPs in visualization, temperature sensing, and detection. In the section on therapy, recent results are described concerning optogenetics and neurotherapy. Tumor therapy is another major part of this section, including the synergistic application of phototherapy such as photoimmunotherapy. In a special section, we briefly cover the integration of UCNPs in therapeutics. Finally, we present our understanding of the limitations and prospects of applications of UCNPs in biological fields, hoping to provide a more comprehensive understanding of UCNPs and attract more attention.

上转换纳米粒子 (UCNP) 的最新进展使它们成为各种生物应用的理想“伙伴”。在这篇综述中，我们描述了 UCNP 的新兴生物光学应用，重点关注它们潜在的治疗优势。首先，我们简要回顾了上转换发光的发展和机制，包括有机和无机 UCNPs。接下来，在用于成像和检测的 UCNPs 部分，我们列出了 UCNPs 在可视化、温度传感和检测方面的发展。在治疗部分，描述了有关光遗传学和神经疗法的最新结果。肿瘤治疗是本节的另一主要内容，包括光免疫疗法等光疗的协同应用。在一个特殊的部分，我们简要介绍了 UCNPs 在治疗学中的整合。最后，