De Novo Design of Polymeric Carrier to Photothermally Release Singlet Oxygen for Hypoxic Tumor Treatment

Abstract

<jats:p>Intratumoral hypoxia extremely limits the clinic applications of photodynamic therapy (PDT). Endoperoxides allow thermally releasing singlet oxygen (<jats:sup>1</jats:sup>O<jats:sub>2</jats:sub>) in a defined quantity and offer promising opportunities for oxygen-independent PDT treatment of hypoxic tumors. However, previous composite systems by combining endoperoxides with photothermal reagents may result in unpredicted side effects and potential harmful impacts during therapy<jats:italic> in vivo</jats:italic>. Herein, we de novo design an all-in-one polymer carrier, which can photothermally release <jats:sup>1</jats:sup>O<jats:sub>2</jats:sub>. The strategy has been demonstrated to effectively enhance the production of <jats:sup>1</jats:sup>O<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> and realize the photodamage in vitro, especially in hypoxic environment. Additionally, the polymer carrier accumulates into tumor after intravenous injection via the enhanced permeation and retention effects and accelerates the oxygen-independent generation of <jats:sup>1</jats:sup>O<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> in tumors. The oxidative damage results in good inhibitory effect on tumor growth. Realization of the strategy<jats:italic> in vivo</jats:italic> paves a new way to construct photothermal-triggered oxygen-independent therapeutic platform for clinical applications.</jats:p>

Enhanced Light-Harvesting Efficiency and Adaptation: A Review on Visible-Light-Driven Micro/Nanomotors

“…Considerable artificial micro/nanomotors have been designed, fabricated, and studied in the last decade. Difficult challenges in the application of micro/nanomotors in various fields, ranging from biomedicine and sensing to environmental remediation, have been overcome in different environments [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. To enhance the drive performance, controllability, and environmental suitability of micro/nanomotors, different types of input energies, e.g., chemical, magnetic, light, thermal, electric, and acoustic energies, were used to drive and control their motion.…”

Phototaxis Motion Behavior of a Self‐propelled Submarine‐like Water Droplet Robot in Oil Solvent

“…Unlike other inanimate machines, the self‐propelling droplet is working in liquid environment. Considerable attention has been paid on studying the interface mechanics of self‐propelling liquid droplets and their potential applications as biocompatible carriers and sensors that can be used for target drug delivery or exploring microscopical complex areas [12–18] . Since oil and water are immiscible liquids which are easy to prepare and characterize, oil‐water system, especially the self‐propelling oil droplet in water phase, is a standard model for investigating the mechanism of self‐propelling phenomenon [19–21] .…”

Bacterial Template Synthesis of Multifunctional Nanospindles for Glutathione Detection and Enhanced Cancer-Specific Chemo-Chemodynamic Therapy

“…It is well known that tumor microenvironment (TME) has unique physiological characteristics such as acidic pH, hypoxia, and elevated levels of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and glutathione (GSH) [18,19]. Hypoxia, resulting from an imbalance between oxygen (O 2 ) supply and consumption, can directly lead to the resistance of cancer cells to chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy, or radiotherapy [20][21][22][23][24]. Hypoxic adaptation is mainly mediated by a family of transcriptional regulators called hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs), including HIF-1α, which is involved in angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis of cancer cells [25][26][27].…”