A promising method
for treating cancer is localized therapy, which
mainly employs hydrogel-based delivery systems. Recently, the capability
of 3D printing techniques has been revealed as a promising tool to
tackle cancer. In this work, alginate (Alg)-based 3D-printed implantable
scaffolds containing bovine serum albumin (BSA)-coated copper sulfide
(CuS) nanoparticles, Alg-CuS/BSA, were fabricated for local breast
cancer therapy and applied to inhibit tumor development through utilizing
synergistic photothermal, photodynamic, and chemodynamic effects.
The Alg-CuS/BSA scaffolds were flexible; however, their modulus was
significantly lower than that of human breast tissues. Under 808 nm
irradiation, the scaffolds demonstrated efficient photothermal, photodynamic,
and chemodynamic effects both in vitro and in vivo via improving photothermal
transduction and singlet-oxygen formation, and also as Fenton catalysts,
the scaffolds produced hydroxyl radicals in the presence of H2O2 within the tumor microenvironment. Without the
use of conventional anticancer drugs, the promising tumor treatment
of implanted scaffolds can offer potential applications in local cancer
treatment and prevent metastasis after surgical removal of tumors.