Photodynamic
therapy (PDT) is a promising therapeutic approach
that has been extensively applied in curing cancers. However, the
limited penetration depth of external light makes PDT only practical
for some superficial tumor treatments. Moreover, an external light
irradiation might cause damages to adjacent normal tissues. Additionally,
the poor targeting ability of PDT can lead to side effects like skin
phototoxicity. Therefore, a PDT strategy addressing these drawbacks
is urgently exploited. Herein, we constructed a chemiluminescence
theranostics platform named MSN@H6L@β-CD@AMPPD NPs
for liver cancer-specific, in situ diagnosis and
therapy without an external light source. Through the interaction
of host–guest, 3-[(2-spiroadamatane)-4-methoxy-4-(3-phosphoryloxy)-phenyl-1,2-dioxetane]
dioxetane, a chemiluminescence substrate of the liver cancer biomarker
alkaline phosphatase was integrated with β-cyclodextrin. Then,
the β-cyclodextrin was covalently bound to the mesoporous silica
loaded with (4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin to finally obtain the MSN@H6L@β-CD@AMPPD NPs. These NPs can be specifically hydrolyzed
by the liver cancer alkaline phosphatase and lead to the liver cancer-targeting
chemiluminescence. Subsequently, (4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin was excited
by the chemiluminescence through chemiluminescence resonance energy
transfer and created both near-infrared fluorescence and 1O2. This strategy greatly promotes the penetration depth
and targeting ability of the PDT. In brief, the platform accomplishes
a PDT nano-theranostics for liver cancer and provides a method for
the imaging, diagnosis, and therapy of tumors in deep tissue.