Salmonella Biomimetic Nanoparticles for Photothermal-Chemotherapy of Colorectal Cancer

Nanomedicines have been widely used in colorectal cancer treatment, but their suboptimal targeting and deficient penetration capabilities remain obstacles in the delivery of therapeutics. In this study, inspired by the natural tumor tropism and intestinal invasion of Salmonella, we engineered highly biomimetic nanoparticles (SM-AuNRs) utilizing a Salmonella membrane to coat bacilliform Au nanorods. The engineered SM-AuNRs were able to mimic the germ’s morphology and biological surface. SM-AuNRs containing the specific proteins inherited from the Salmonella membrane facilitated specific targeting and internalization into tumor cells. Meanwhile, SM-AuNRs with the rod-shaped morphology effectively traversed mucus barriers and tumor stroma. Due to the superior biological barrier penetrating and tumor targeting capabilities, doxorubicin-loaded SM-AuNRs with near-infrared laser irradiation displayed remarkable photothermal-chemotherapeutic antitumor effects in mouse orthotopic colorectal cancer models. Our findings pave the way for the design of bacteria-mimicking nanoparticles, presenting a promising avenue for the targeting and efficient treatment of colorectal cancer.