Abstract

The combination of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) has emerged as a promising strategy for complete tumor ablation therapy. Herein, a boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY)-conjugated hyaluronic acid polymer that can self-assemble to form the nanoparticles (BODIPY-HA NPs) was prepared for combined cancer PDT and PTT. The fluorescence emission and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation of BODIPY-HA NPs were inhibited because of the π-π stacking behavior of BODIPY, resulting in photothermal effect under 808 nm light irradiation. Upon the internalization by cancer cells, the BODIPY-HA NPs could disassemble into BODIPY-HA molecules, with the recovery of the fluorescence and ROS generation for PDT. Importantly, in vitro results confirmed that combined PTT and PDT have exhibited better anticancer effect than PTT alone upon 808 nm laser irradiation. These results showed that the self-assembled BODIPY-HA NPs may be a promising nanomedicine for synergistic cancer PDT and PTT.

摘要

光动力疗法 (PDT) 和光热疗法 (PTT) 的结合已成为完全肿瘤消融治疗的有前景的策略。在此，制备了一种可以自组装形成纳米颗粒（BODIPY-HA NPs）的硼二吡咯甲烯（BODIPY）-共轭透明质酸聚合物，用于联合癌症 PDT 和 PTT。由于 BODIPY 的 π-π 堆积行为，BODIPY-HA NPs 的荧光发射和活性氧 (ROS) 生成受到抑制，导致在 808 nm 光照射下产生光热效应。在被癌细胞内化后，BODIPY-HA NPs 可以分解成 BODIPY-HA 分子，从而恢复荧光和产生 PDT 的 ROS。重要的是，体外结果证实，在 808 nm 激光照射下，PTT 和 PDT 联合比单独 PTT 表现出更好的抗癌效果。这些结果表明，自组装 BODIPY-HA NPs 可能是一种用于协同癌症 PDT 和 PTT 的有前途的纳米药物。