Imminent
prospects of clinical importance have been accomplished
through divergent treatment modalities implemented using nanoscale
platforms. In the present study, hydroxyapatite nanoparticles doped
with copper nanoclusters (HAPs) were explored for codelivery of a
hydrophobic drug, namely, norfloxacin (NX), and a hydrophilic photosensitizer,
such as methylene blue (MB). NX and MB were successfully homed into
HAPs (MB-NX-HAPs), which further exhibited a pH-dependent release
of both. With the objective of attaining an enhanced effect, MB-NX-HAPs
were evaluated for combination therapy, involving chemotherapy and
photodynamic therapy (PDT) with irradiation at 640 nm. The combinatorial
therapy approach was initially applied for antibacterial therapy,
which suggested a considerable reduction in bacterial growth of Gram-negative
strain Pseudomonas aeruginosa MTCC
2488. Thereafter, the antiproliferative study performed in cancer
cell lines (HeLa and MCF-7) revealed the efficiency of MB-NX-HAPs
in bestowing a combinatorial effect through chemotherapy and PDT (irradiation
at 640 nm). The combined effect exerted through MB-NX-HAPs subsequently
induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, cell cycle alteration,
and apoptosis activation in cancer cells. The biocompatible nature
of MB-NX-HAPs was appreciably shown through their minimal effect on
the normal cell line (HEK-293). Additionally, HAPs through luminescence
of copper nanoclusters were suggested to aid in bioimaging of cancer
cell lines.