Folate-targeted polymeric nanoparticles for efficient dual (chemo-photothermal) therapy of oral squamous carcinoma

In this work, the phytochemical anticancer thymoquinone (TQ) and near-infrared plasmonic gold nanorods (AuNRs) were loaded in folate-targeted pegylated poly(d, l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA-PEG-FA) nanocapsules. This polymeric regime exhibited in vitro sustained release kinetics of both TQ and AuNRs. MTT assay showed the strong and synergistic chemo-photothermal effects on SCC-15 cells incubated with the combination therapy associated with dramatic ultrastructural changes on the morphology of the cells. The enhanced anticancer efficacy, as indicated by tumor regression and histopathological examinations, proved the ability of the proposed regime to achieve strong synergistic anticancer effects and selective tumor targeting via dual-modal targeted system.