Photothermally Enhanced Chemotherapy Delivered by Graphene Oxide-Based Multiresponsive Nanogels

Abstract

To develop multifunctional anticancer nanomedicines, photothermal nanogels with multistimulative properties are fabricated by hybridizing graphene oxide (GO) with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide, PNIPAM) matrix. This technique allows for easy monomer-intercalation between GO sheets, followed by in situ polymerization to promote GO exfoliation as nanoplatelets inside emulsified PNIPAM nanodrops, followed by fixation using a disulfide-containing cross-linker. The resulting nanogels own significantly improved colloidal stability and biocompatibility as compared to native GO. They can effectively encapsulate an anticancer drug and accelerate its release under conditions mimicking acidic/reducible solid tumor and intracellular microenvironments. Drug delivery can be further enhanced via remote photothermal treatment. The local photothermal effect and drug release smartness make the nanogels as an ideal nanoplatform for synergistic anticancer therapy upon their arrival at tumor tissue or inside cancer cells.

Nanogel: A Versatile Nano-Delivery System for Biomedical Applications

“…The redox-sensitivity of nanogels combined with the GO-induced thermal conversion assessed rapid drug release in tumor environment. This smart nanoplatform with local photothermal effect and controlled drug release exhibited the potential for chemo-photothermal synergistic therapy ( Figure 10) [125].…”

Biomedicine Innovations and Its Nanohydrogel Classifications

“…Photothermal therapy alone has been associated with uneven hyperthermia distribution, leading to incomplete tumor ablation, whereas chemotherapy can develop serious side effects and drug resistance [166]. Therefore, merging photothermal therapy and chemotherapy (photothermal-chemotherapy, PT-CT) has recently emerged as a feasible alternative for cancer treatment with improved therapeutic efficiency and reduced side effects [149,166,167]. PTT involves using photothermal conversion agents (PTAs) to generate enough heat upon exposure to near-infrared (NIR, 700-2500 nm) light to increase the temperature of the surrounding environment and trigger tumor inhibition and ablation [149,168,169].…”

“…Therefore, merging photothermal therapy and chemotherapy (photothermal-chemotherapy, PT-CT) has recently emerged as a feasible alternative for cancer treatment with improved therapeutic efficiency and reduced side effects [149,166,167]. PTT involves using photothermal conversion agents (PTAs) to generate enough heat upon exposure to near-infrared (NIR, 700-2500 nm) light to increase the temperature of the surrounding environment and trigger tumor inhibition and ablation [149,168,169]. The use of PTT over other therapies can be attributed to its advantages, including minimal invasiveness and high selectivity in combination with minimal side effects, since the laser irradiation parameters used, such as location, wavelength, irradiation time and intensity of light, can be controlled [169].…”

Multifunctional Polymeric Nanogels for Biomedical Applications

“…Graphene oxide (GO), an inorganic compound, exhibits a distinct drug loading capacity. Due to its strong polarity, GO forms an electrostatic interaction with some cancer therapeutics, and it was combined with PNIPAM monomer to improve thermal responsiveness when exposed to NIR light, as well as enhancing its colloidal stability [ 89 ]. The results demonstrated the optimized DOX loading capacity together with improved colloidal stability and biocompatibility of the native GO.…”