Bifunctional Tellurium Nanodots for Photo-Induced Synergistic Cancer Therapy

Abstract

Elemental tellurium (Te) nanoparticles are increasingly important in a variety of applications such as thermoelectricity, photoconductivity, and piezoelectricity. However, they have been explored with limited success in their biomedical use, and thus a tremendous challenge still exists in the exploration of Te nanoparticles that can treat tumors as an effective anticancer agent. Here, we introduce bifunctional Te nanodots with well-defined nanostructure as an effective anticancer agent for photo-induced synergistic cancer therapy with tumor ablation, which is accomplished using hollow albumin nanocages as a nanoreactor. Under near-infrared light irradiation, Te nanodots can produce effective photothermal conversion, as well as highly reactive oxygen species such as •O and dismutated •OH via a type-I mechanism through direct electron transfer, thereby triggering the potent in vivo hyperthermia and simultaneous intracellular reactive oxygen species at tumors. Moreover, Te nanodots possess perfect resistance to photobleaching, effective cytoplasmic translocation, preferable tumor accumulation, as well as in vivo renal elimination, promoting severe photo-induced cell damage and subsequent synergy between photothermal and photodynamic treatments for tumor ablation. These findings provide the insight of elemental Te nanodots for biomedical research.

T‐Cell‐Mimicking Nanoparticles Can Neutralize HIV Infectivity

“…[31] In addition, additional payloads can be encapsulated into PLGA cores or membrane bilayers and combing the TNP technique with other nanotherapeutic approaches, which together may open additional mechanisms of viral suppression. [40–42] By integrating natural cell membrane materials and synthetic nanomaterials, TNPs represent a promising platform for HIV prevention and treatment.…”

Solar‐Inspired Water Purification Based on Emerging 2D Materials: Status and Challenges

“…The research work shows its wider application in electronics, optoelectronics, and biomedicine field . The photothermal effect of Te nanomaterials is also found and has been utilized for photothermal cancer therapy . The bandgap of Te is only 0.35 eV, which endows a broadband absorption and efficient photothermal conversion .…”

“…The bandgap of Te is only 0.35 eV, which endows a broadband absorption and efficient photothermal conversion . Moreover, its stable photothermal performance can also be observed . Interestingly, the photothermal effect was also found in several Te‐related compounds, for instance, the TePt and CuTe, which may be related to the intrinsic photothermal nature of Te.…”

Integration of Self‐Luminescence and Oxygen Self‐Supply: A Potential Photodynamic Therapy Strategy for Deep Tumor Treatment

“…Besides conventional organic PSs, many inorganic nanoparticles were designed to be able to produce ROS under NIR excitation in cancer research . Chen and co‐workers reported that tellurium (Te) nanodots can be used for photo‐induced synergistic cancer therapy in NIR region . With enhanced NIR absorbance, effective photothermal conversion and high ROS yield, Te nanodots were successfully applied in NIR induced PTT/PDT in vivo.…”