PEGylated copper(II)‐chelated polydopamine nanocomposites for photothermal‐enhanced chemodynamic therapy against tumor cells

Abstract Photothermal‐enhanced chemodynamic therapy is a novel and promising strategy for effective tumor treatment. Herein, a kind of polydopamine (PDA)‐based nanoplatform is reported for photothermal‐enhanced chemodynamic therapy against tumor cells. PDA nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared through the self‐polymerization method, which were subsequently chelated with Cu 2+ and linked with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chains, finally obtaining PDA‐Cu(II)‐PEG NPs. The fabricated PDA‐Cu(II)‐PEG NPs were uniform in shape with a narrow polydispersity. They can firstly react with glutathione (GSH) to generate Cu + , inducing GSH depletion meanwhile. The formed Cu + could catalyze H 2 O 2 to produce hydroxyl radicals (˙OH) via a Fenton‐like reaction. The formed PDA‐Cu(II)‐PEG NPs displayed good photothermal conversion efficiency and photothermal stability. They can be internalized by 4T1 cells effectively. Under near‐infrared light irradiation, PDA‐Cu(II)‐PEG NPs can generate hyperthermia and ˙OH for photothermal/chemodynamic therapy against tumor cells.