Smart Nanoplatform Research Articles

Smart Cu1.75S nanocapsules with high and stable photothermal efficiency for NIR photo-triggered drug release

Thermosensitive drug delivery systems (DDSs) face major challenges, such as remote and repeatable control of in vivo temperature, although these can increase the therapeutic efficacy of drugs. To address this issue, we coated near-infrared (NIR) photothermal Cu1.75S nanocrystals with pH/thermos-sensitive polymer by in situ polymerization. The doxorubicine (DOX) loading content was up to 40 wt.%, with less than 8.2 wt.% of DOX being leaked under normal physiological conditions (pH = 7.4, 37 °C) for almost 48 h in the absence of NIR light. These nanocapsules demonstrate excellent photothermal stability by continuous longterm NIR irradiation. Based on the stable and high photothermal efficiency (55.8%), pre-loaded drugs were released as desired using 808-nm light as a trigger. Both in vitro and in vivo antitumor therapy results demonstrated that this smart nanoplatform is an effective agent for synergistic hyperthermia-based chemotherapy of cancer, demonstrating remote and noninvasive control.

Combining magnetic hyperthermia and photodynamic therapy for tumor ablation with photoresponsive magnetic liposomes.

The ongoing nanotech revolution has the potential to transform diagnostic and therapeutic methods. Stimuli-triggered nanotherapies based on remotely activated agents have become attractive alternatives to conventional chemotherapy. Herein, we designed an optimized smart nanoplatform based on dually loaded hybrid liposomes to achieve enhanced tumor therapy. The aqueous core was highly loaded with iron oxide nanoparticles, while the lipid bilayer was supplied with a photosensitizer payload. The double cargo translated into double functionality: generation of singlet oxygen under laser excitation and heat production under alternating magnetic field stimulation, coupling photodynamic therapy (PDT) to magnetic hyperthermia (MHT). These liposomes address both therapeutic agents within tumor cells, and the combined PDT/MHT therapy resulted in complete cancer cell death in vitro while total solid-tumor ablation was achieved in an in vivo rodent model.

A smart magnetic nanoplatform for synergistic anticancer therapy: manoeuvring mussel-inspired functional magnetic nanoparticles for pH responsive anticancer drug delivery and hyperthermia.

We report the versatile design of a smart nanoplatform for thermo-chemotherapy treatment of cancer. For the first time in the literature, our design takes advantage of the outstanding properties of mussel-inspired multiple catecholic groups - presenting a unique copolymer poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-dopamine methacrylamide) p(HEMA-co-DMA) to surface functionalize the superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles as well as to conjugate borate containing anticancer drug bortezomib (BTZ) in a pH-dependent manner for the synergistic anticancer treatment. The unique multiple anchoring groups can be used to substantially improve the affinity of the ligands to the surfaces of the nanoparticles to form ultrastable iron oxide nanoparticles with control over their hydrodynamic diameter and interfacial chemistry. Thus the BTZ-incorporated-bio-inspired-smart magnetic nanoplatform will act as a hyperthermic agent that delivers heat when an alternating magnetic field is applied while the BTZ-bound catechol moieties act as chemotherapeutic agents in a cancer environment by providing pH-dependent drug release for the synergistic thermo-chemotherapy application. The anticancer efficacy of these bio-inspired multifunctional smart magnetic nanoparticles was tested both in vitro and in vivo and found that these unique magnetic nanoplatforms can be established to endow for the next generation of nanomedicine for efficient and safe cancer therapy.

Highly selective CD44-specific gold nanorods for photothermal ablation of tumorigenic subpopulations generated in MCF7 mammospheres

Heterogeneous stem-like populations within tumor tissues are the primary suspects in causing cancer recurrence and malignancy. It is essential to selectively kill these tumorigenic populations. We created a novel system for photothermally ablating specific cells from three-dimensional mammospheres. A CD44-positive subpopulation, with tumorigenic and self-renewal potential, spontaneously arises in MCF7 breast cancer cell-engineered mammospheres. Using anti-CD44 antibody-linked gold nanorods, which strongly absorb near infrared light and increase local temperature, we effectively targeted and photo-ablated atypical cells. This biomarker-specific photothermal ablation model, using a smart nanoplatform, is a promising new strategy for selectively killing cancer cells, while sparing normal tissues.