Designing
intelligent stimuli-responsive nanoplatforms that are
integrated with a biological membrane system and nanomaterials to
realize efficient imaging and therapy of tumors still remains to be
challenging. Herein, we report a unique strategy to prepare redox-responsive
yellow fluorescent carbon dot nanoclusters (y-CDCs) loaded with anticancer
drug doxorubicin (DOX) and coated with the cancer cell membrane (CCM)
for precision fluorescence imaging and homologous targeting chemotherapy
of tumors. The y-CDs with a size of 7.2 nm were first synthesized via a hydrothermal method and crosslinked to obtain redox-responsive
y-CDCs with a size of 150.0 nm. The formulated y-CDCs were physically
loaded with DOX with an efficiency of up to 81.0% and coated with
CCM to endow them with antifouling properties, immune escape ability
to escape from macrophage uptake, and homologous targeting capability
to cancer cells. Within the reductive tumor microenvironment, the
y-CDCs with quenched fluorescence can dissociate to form single y-CDs
with recovered fluorescence and improved tumor penetration ability
and simultaneously release DOX from the “cluster bomb”,
thus realizing efficient targeted tumor fluorescence imaging and chemotherapy.
The designed y-CDCs/DOX@CCM may represent an updated nanomedicine
formulation based on CDs for improved theranostics of different types
of tumors.
Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) has received increasing attention due to its unique tumor microenvironment (TME) responsiveness and minimal adverse side effects, but the therapeutic effect of CDT alone is always limited...
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