Iron-Doped Metal–Zinc-Centered Organic Framework Mesoporous Carbon Derivatives for Single-Wavelength NIR-Activated Photothermal/Photodynamic Synergistic Therapy

Abstract

Recently, single-wavelength synergetic photothermal/photodynamic (PTT/PDT) therapy is beginning to make its mark in cancer treatment, and the key to it is a photosensitizer. In this work, an iron-doped metal–zinc-centered organic framework mesoporous carbon derivative (denoted as Fe x -Zn-NCT) with a similar porphyrin property was successfully synthesized by a mild, simple, and green aqueous reaction. The effects of different Fe contents and pyrolysis temperatures on the morphology, structure, and PTT/PDT of Fe x -Zn-NCT were investigated. Most importantly, we found that Fe50-Zn-NC900 exhibited excellent PTT/PDT performance under single-wavelength near-infrared (808 nm) light irradiation in a hydrophilic environment. The photothermal conversion efficiency (η) was counted as ∼81.3%, and the singlet oxygen (1O2) quantum yield (Φ) was compared with indocyanine green (ICG) as ∼0.0041. Furthermore, Fe50-Zn-NC900 is provided with a clear ability for generating 1O2 in living tumor cells and inducted massive necrosis/apoptosis of tumor cells with single-wavelength near-infrared laser irradiation. All of these are clear to consider that Fe50-Zn-NC900 displays great potential as an excellent photosensitizer for single-wavelength dual-mode PTT/PDT therapy.