Tumor microenvironment-tailored nanoplatform for companion diagnostic applications of precise cancer therapy

Summary

Acidity-stimulated platforms have the potential to improve the specificity of cancer imaging and therapy within the tumor microenvironment (pH 6.5–6.8). However, avoiding non-specific activation in normal cells (lysosomal or endosomal activation at pH < 5.4) remains a significant challenge. Herein, we developed core-satellite semiconducting polymer nanoparticles @ cobalt hydroxide oxide (SPNs@CoOOH), which is a novel companion diagnostic system tailored to tumor microenvironments. We propose a novel accelerator/brake strategy that regulates their pH-responsive range. This approach allows for efficient and precise treatment of tumors through the adaptation of the optimal pH (pH 6.6) while minimizing non-specific activation within normal tissue and reducing the risk of "off-targeted" toxicity. The specific chemical reaction between ¹O₂ and thiophene-based SPNs allows for the chemiluminescence from SPNs@CoOOH to be well correlated with the generation of ¹O₂ under various conditions (e.g., different pH, concentration, or time), thereby showing good relevance with cancer inhibition rates in vivo.