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In this work, an innovative boron-based multifunctional nanoplatform was developed for synergistic chemotherapy/photothermal therapy.

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The hypoxia of the tumor microenvironment (TME) often hinders the effectiveness of cancer treatments, especially O2-dependent photodynamic therapy (PDT).Methods: An integrated iridium oxide (IrO2)-manganese dioxide (MnO2) nanotheranostic agent was fabricated through bovine serum albumin (BSA)-based biomineralization of Ir3+ and Mn2+. BSA was first covalently modified with chlorin e6 (Ce6), and used to fabricate multifunctional BSA-Ce6@IrO2/MnO2 nanoparticles (NPs) for computed X-ray tomography (CT) and photoacoustic (PA) imaging-guided PDT and photothermal (PTT) therapy of cancer. Extensive in vitro and in vivo studies were performed.Results: The theranostic agent produced can relieve tumor hypoxia by the decomposition of endogenous H2O2 in cancer cells to oxygen. The oxygen generated can be exploited for improved PDT. Paramagnetic Mn2+ released from the NPs in the acidic TME permits magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to be performed. The exceptional photothermal conversion efficiency (65.3%) and high X-ray absorption coefficient of IrO2 further endow the NPs with the ability to be used in computed CT and PA imaging. Extensive antitumor studies demonstrated that the BSA-Ce6@IrO2/MnO2 nanoplatform inhibits cancer cell growth, particularly after combined PTT and PDT. Systematic in vivo biosafety evaluations confirmed the high biocompatibility of the nanoplatform.Conclusion: This work not only provides a novel strategy for designing albumin-based nanohybrids for theranostic applications but also provides a facile approach for extending the biomedical applications of iridium-based materials.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2)-based drug delivery systems have shown considerable potential in cancer nanomedicines. In this work, a multifunctional nanoplatform comprising MoS 2 nanosheets decorated with copper sulfide (CuS) and further functionalized with polyethylene glycol (PEG) is reported. The resultant material has a particle size of approximately 115 nm, and can be loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) to a loading capacity of 162.3 mg DOX per g of carrier. Drug release is triggered by two stimuli (near infrared (NIR) irradiation and pH), and the carrier is shown to have excellent colloidal stability. The presence of both MoS 2 and CuS leads to very high photothermal conversion efficiency (higher than with MoS 2 alone). In vitro experiments revealed that the blank CuS-MoS 2-SH-PEG carrier is biocompatible, but that the synergistic application of chemo-photothermal therapy (in the form of CuS-MoS 2-SH-PEG loaded with DOX and NIR irradiation) led to greater cell death than either chemotherapy (CuS-MoS 2-SH-PEG(DOX) but no NIR) or photothermal therapy (CuS-MoS 2-SH-PEG with NIR). A cellular uptake study demonstrated that the nanoplatform can efficiently enter tumor cells, and that uptake is enhanced when NIR is applied. Overall, the functionalized MoS 2 material developed in this work exhibits great potential as an efficient system for dual responsive drug delivery and synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy. The route employed in our work thus provides a strategy to enhance photothermal efficacy for transition metal dichalcogenide drug delivery systems. 3 / 31