Chemical-NIR dual-powered CuS/Pt nanomotors for tumor hypoxia modulation, deep tumor penetration and augmented synergistic phototherapy

The complex tumor microenvironment (TME) with the characteristics of severe hypoxia, enriched hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and dense nature significantly restricted the therapeutic efficacy of nanomedicine in cancer treatment. Synthetic micro/nanomotors have shown multiple versatility in modulating the abnormal TME and overcoming the limited penetration in solid tumor. Herein, we constructed a chemical-NIR dual-propelled nanomotor based on CuS/Pt Janus nanoparticles with IR820 encapsulation for hypoxia alleviation, deep tumor penetration and augmented synergistic photodynamic (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT). The deposited Pt effectively catalyzed tumor endogenous H2O2 into oxygen, which extremely relieved the tumor hypoxia state and allowed the chemical propulsion of nanomotors. Under NIR irradiation, the Janus nanomotors exhibited more obvious movement via efficient photothermal conversion. Such autonomous motion significantly improved the tumoral accumulation of nanomotors and facilitated much deeper penetration inside tumor in vivo. In addition, enriched oxygen also promoted the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) for augment of PDT, which achieved satisfied antitumor effect in combination with the PTT treatment. Therefore, this strategy based on CuS/Pt Janus nanomotors would provide an innovative dimension for considerable applications in effective cancer management.