NIR-triggered doxorubicin photorelease using CuS@Albumin composites and in-vitro effect over HeLa cells

Abstract

Drug photodelivery systems are emerging as useful tools for the development of new cancer chemotherapies with reduced side effects. In this context the development of nanodevices that utilize biodegradable components are especially appealing to reduce the accumulation of exogenous materials in important organs. Here we present the development of a nanocomposite comprising copper sulfide nanoparticles (CuSNPs) covered with human serum albumin (HSA) for transporting and photorelease doxorubicin (DOX) using near-infrared light. In a first step, 11 nm CuSNPs were synthesized by a hydrothermal method in the presence of sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) as stabilizing intermediary ligand. In a second step, SDBS was exchanged with dopamine (DOP) to produce CuS@DOP that associates human serum albumin (HSA) through multivalent electrostatic interactions. The as-obtained CuS@HSA nanocomposite was observed capable to load DOX at the large extension of 27.8% (w/w) and deliver it to HeLa cells upon irradiation with an 808 nm laser (0.2 w/cm2), producing a therapeutic effect. This work proves the potential of the biodegradable CuS@HSA bioconjugate in biomedical applications that require the spatiotemporal administration of drugs.