Carbon Dots @ Platinum Porphyrin Composite as Theranostic Nanoagent for Efficient Photodynamic Cancer Therapy

Abstract

Photosensitizers are light-sensitive molecules that are highly hydrophobic, which poses a challenge to their use for photodynamic therapy. Hence, considerable efforts have been made to develop carriers for the delivery of PSs. Herein, we synthesized a new theranostic nanoagent (CQDs@PtPor) through the electrostatic interaction between the tetraplatinated porphyrin complex (PtPor) and the negatively charged CQDs. The size and morphology of as-prepared CQDs and CQDs@PtPor were characterized by a series of methods, such as XRD, TEM, XPS, and FTIR spectroscopy. The CQDs@PtPor composite integrates the optical properties of CQDs and the anticancer function of porphyrin into a single unit. The spectral results suggested the effective resonance energy transfer from CQDs to PtPor in the CQDs@PtPor composite. Impressively, the CQDs@PtPor composite showed the stronger PDT effect than that of organic molecular PtPor, suggesting that CQDs@PtPor is advantageous over the conventional formulation, attributable to the enhanced efficiency of 1O2 production of PtPor by CQDs. Thus, this CQDs-based drug nanocarrier exhibited enhanced tumor-inhibition efficacy as well as low side effects in vitro, showing significant application potential in the cancer therapy.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s11671-018-2761-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Recent advance of carbon dots in bio-related applications

“…To solve the hypoxia problem, Wang's group [142] constructed the CDs/MnO 2 , MnO 2 can not only be reduced into Mn(II) by acidic H 2 O 2 as an T1 contrast agent for MRI but also generate oxygen within tumor to enhance the PDT efficiency. Magnetofluorescent Mn-CDs were prepared from Mn(II) phthalocyanine [143] and metal porphyrin [144][145][146]. After cooperative self-assembly with DSPE-PEG, the Mn-CDs aggregates can be used for bimodal contrast agent for MRI and fluorescence imaging agent.…”

Carbon Dots: Classification, Properties, Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications in Health Care—An Updated Review (2018–2021)

“…This therapy has very low phototoxic effects on skin, and can cause minimal destruction to the marginal tissues. Moreover, it exhibits very negligible resistance to drugs [311][312][313][314][315]. In this therapy, the accumulation of photosensitizing agents in cancerous cells, and its consecutive irradiation generates reactive oxygen species originating from intracellular oxygen.…”

“…Moreover, the Cu-CDs could efficiently inhibit the growth of human neuroblastoma cells and human cervical cancer cells [324]. Wu and team prepared CDs-decorated platinum porphyrin (CDs@PtPor) nanohybrids for the implementation of a photodynamic therapy for cancer treatment [311]. Herein, the production of CDs@PtPor was achieved via the electrostatic interaction between the negatively charged CDs and the tetraplatinated PtPor conjugates, where the CDs@PtPor could inherit the anti-cancer activity of porphyrin, as well as the fluorescence property of CDs.…”

“…Herein, the production of CDs@PtPor was achieved via the electrostatic interaction between the negatively charged CDs and the tetraplatinated PtPor conjugates, where the CDs@PtPor could inherit the anti-cancer activity of porphyrin, as well as the fluorescence property of CDs. Due to this synergism, the CDs@PtPor nanohybrids could demonstrate very high photodynamic therapeutic activity, in comparison to the PtPor, which implies that the as-synthesized CDs@PtPor nanohybrids exhibited much more benefits than the traditional formulations [311]. Nevertheless, these CDs@PtPor nanohybrids could render lesser adverse effects in vitro, and an improvised tumor-inhibition capacity.…”

“…Nevertheless, these CDs@PtPor nanohybrids could render lesser adverse effects in vitro, and an improvised tumor-inhibition capacity. This can be attributed to the increased capacity of CDs@PtPor nanohybrids for the generation of singlet oxygen species [311]. In another work, the synthesis of porphyrin-based CDs (TPP CDs) was carried out using chitosan and mono-hydroxyphenyl triphenylporphyrin (TPP) as precursors by applying the hydrothermal technique [325].…”