Enhanced Photothermal Performance by Carbon Dot-Chelated Polydopamine Nanoparticles

Abstract

Polydopamine (PDA) has been widely used in biomedical applications including imaging contrast agents, antioxidants, UV protection, and photothermal therapy due to its biocompatibility, metal-ion chelation, free-radical scavenging, and wideband absorption, but its low photothermal efficiency still needs to be improved. In this study, we chelated near-infrared (NIR) sensitive carbon quantum dots on the surface of polydopamine (PDA-PEI@N,S-CQDs) to increase its near-infrared absorption. Surprisingly, although only 4% (w/w) of carbon quantum dots was conjugated on the PDA surface, it still increased the photothermal efficiency by 30%. Moreover, PDA-PEI@N,S-CQDs could also be used as the drug carrier for loading 60% (w/w) of the DOX and achieved stimuli-responsive drug release under lysosomal pH (pH 5.0) and 808 nm laser illumination. For in vitro therapeutic experiment, PDA-PEI@N,S-CQDs showed the remarkable therapeutic performance under 808 nm laser irradiation for killing 90% of cancer cells compared with 50% by pure PDA nanoparticles, and the efficacy was even higher after loading DOX owing to the synergistic effect by photothermal therapy and chemotherapy. This intelligent and effective therapeutic nanosystem based on PDA-PEI@N,S-CQDs showed enhanced photothermal behavior after chelating carbon dots and promoted the future development of a nanoplatform for stimuli-responsive photothermal/chemo therapy.

The Application of Carbon Nanomaterials in Sensing, Imaging, Drug Delivery and Therapy for Gynecologic Cancers: An Overview

“…By combining FA functionalized CDs with Polypyrrole (PPy) nanoparticles, the FA-CDs/PPy system ( Figure 8 ) with high photothermal conversion efficiency (η = 40.80 ± 1.54%) can kill about 87.5% of HeLa cells by NIR laser irradiation [ 108 ]. Compared with the single polydopamine (PDA) nanoparticles, the attachment of only 4 wt.% CDs for the PDA@CDs system can increase the photothermal efficiency by 30% and can kill 90% of cancer cells under 808 nm laser irradiation (50% for PDA only) [ 109 ]. The PDA@CDs system can also load 60% DOX with remarkable therapeutic performance via the synergistic effect of photothermal therapy and chemotherapy.…”

“…Diverse drugs and other functional reagents were also loaded on these carbon nanohybrids to enhance targeted delivery, imaging, therapy as well as biocompatibility. The synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy of gynecological cancers can also be realized by the multifunctional carbon-based nanomaterials [ 109 ]. Some elaborated carbon nanohybrids can even have the multiple abilities of imaging, drug delivery, and therapy of gynecological cancer [ 110 ].…”

Core–Shell Polydopamine/Cu Nanometer Rods Efficiently Deactivate Microbes by Mimicking Chloride-Activated Peroxidases

“…The above-mentioned results indicated that PDA/Cu nanometer rods had higher stability at extreme temperature conditions and were easier to be stored compared with natural enzymes . Additionally, PDA/Cu nanometer rods showed higher V max than other nanozymes and had higher catalytic activity at higher temperatures, while some other nanozymes have optimum activity at a temperature of around 40 °C , or showed stable catalytic activity in a wide temperature range …”

“…In addition, the temperature changes of PDA/Cu nanometer rods (200 μg mL –1 ) under different power densities (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 W cm –2 ) were recorded. The heating and cooling curve data of Cu 4 (OH) 6 SO 4 crystals (200 μg mL –1 ) and PDA/Cu nanometer rods (200 μg mL –1 ) were then used to calculate the photothermal conversion efficiency (η), as described by Shu et al 35 …”

“…In addition, the temperature changes of PDA/Cu nanometer rods (200 μg mL −1 ) under different power densities (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 W cm −2 ) were recorded. The heating and cooling curve data of Cu 4 (OH) 6 SO 4 crystals (200 μg mL −1 ) and PDA/Cu nanometer rods (200 μg mL −1 ) were then used to calculate the photothermal conversion efficiency (η), as described by Shu et al 35 Photothermal and Catalytic Synergistic Antibacterial Therapy. A suspension of S. aureus and E. coli (50 μL, OD 600 nm = 0.5) was incubated with H 2 O 2 , DA/Cu nanometer rods, and H 2 O 2 + PDA/Cu nanometer rods.…”