Construction of near-infrared light-triggered reactive oxygen species-sensitive (UCN/SiO2-RB + DOX)@PPADT nanoparticles for simultaneous chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy

Combined therapy now plays a major role in cancer therapy due to the outcome of huge amounts of scientific experiments in recent years. However, all systems designed previously have been unable to simultaneously deliver therapy effects using several methods to produce a greater overall therapeutic effect. To solve the problem, we constructed a delivery system of near-infrared light (NIR)-triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS)-sensitive nanoparticles (NPs) for simultaneous chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy (PDT). The inner NP was assembled from a hydrophobic upconverting nanoparticle (UCN) core, with a thin silica shell linked with rose bengal (RB). Finally, a type of ROS-induced biodegradable polymer named poly-(1, 4-phenyleneacetone dimethylenethioketal) (PPADT) was self-assembled to form the NP as an outer shell to load the inner NP and doxorubicin (DOX). As the results show, the UCN core works as a transducer to convert deeply penetrating NIR to visible light for activating the photosensitizer RB for PDT under NIR excitation. In the meantime, the redundant ROS caused PPADT to biodegrade to release the loaded DOX, realizing simultaneous chemotherapy and PDT. Properties such as structure, size distribution, morphology, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ROS production test, cell uptake test and combined therapy treatment effect in vitro were evaluated to prove NIR triggered ROS-sensitive (UCN/SiO2-RB + DOX)@PPADT NPs. Based on our data, this delivery system could provide an effective means to realize simultaneous chemotherapy and PDT through external NIR-triggered ROS sensitivity.