Supporting informationSynthesis and Optical Properties of CIS Core QDs. The temporal evolutions of both absorption

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) combined with oxygenating strategies is widely employed in cancer treatment; however, oxygen-boosted PDT has failed to achieve an ideal effect due to the complexity, heterogeneity, and irreversible hypoxic environment generated by tumor tissues. With the emergence of Fe-dependent ferroptosis boasting reactive oxygen species (ROS) cytotoxicity as well, such a chemodynamic approach to cancer therapy has drawn extensive attention. In this study, hemoglobin (Hb) is connected with the photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6) to construct a 2-in-1 nanoplatform (SRF@Hb-Ce6) with Sorafenib (SRF, ferroptosis promotor) loaded, combining oxygen-boosted PDT and potent ferroptosis. Benefiting from the intrinsic presence of Fe capable of binding oxygen, hemoglobin concurrently furnishes oxygen for oxygen-dependent PDT and Fe for Fe-dependent ferroptosis. Furthermore, amphiphilic MMP2-responsive peptide is incorporated into the skeleton of the nanoplatform to ensure drug-release specificity for safety improvement. Correlative measurements demonstrate the potentiation of PDT and ferroptosis with SRF@Hb-Ce6. More importantly, PDT strengthens ferroptosis by recruiting immune cells to secrete IFN-γ, which can sensitize the tumor to ferroptosis in our findings. The therapeutic effect of synergistic treatment with SRF@Hb-Ce6 in vitro and in vivo was proven significant, revealing the promising prospects of combined PDT and ferroptosis therapy with the 2-in-1 nanoplatform.

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A molecular beacon-based drug delivery system was designed for both detection of telomerase activity in living cells and telomerase-triggered drug release for precise cancer treatment. This system is composed of a gold nanoparticle core densely packed with FITC-labeled hairpin DNA sequences hybridized with telomerase primers. Molecules of the anticancer drug doxorubicin were intercalated into the stem region of the DNA sequence. The presence of telomerase will elongate the primers, leading to inner chain substitution followed by the release of the FITC fluorescence and the trapped doxorubicin. This molecular beacon could specifically distinguish tumor cells and normal cells based on telomerase activity, precisely release doxorubicin in response to telomerase activity in the tumor cells, and prevent toxicity to normal organs.

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