PpIX/IR-820 Dual-Modal Therapeutic Agents for Enhanced PDT/PTT Synergistic Therapy in Cervical Cancer

Abstract

High treatment accuracy is the key to efficient cancer treatment. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) are two kinds of popular, precise treatment methods. The combination of photodynamic and photothermal therapy (PDT/PTT) can greatly enhance the precise therapeutic efficacy. In this work, protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) was selected as the PDT agent (photosensitizer), and new indocyanine green (IR-820) was selected as the PTT agent. Further, the two kinds of theranostic agents were encapsulated by biological-membrane-compatible liposomes to form PpIX-IR-820@Lipo nanoparticles (NPs), a new kind of PDT/PTT agent. The PpIX-IR-820@Lipo NPs exhibited good water solubility, a spherical shape, and high fluorescence peak emission in the near-infrared spectral region (700–900 nm, NIR). The cellular toxicity of PpIX-IR-820@Lipo NPs for human cervical cancer cells (HeLa) and human cervical epithelial cells (H8) was detected by the CCK-8 method, and low cytotoxicity was observed for the PpIX-IR-820@Lipo NPs. Then, the excellent cellular uptake of PpIX-IR-820@Lipo NPs was confirmed by laser scanning confocal microscopy. Moreover, the PDT/PTT property of PpIX-IR-820@Lipo NPs was illustrated via 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFH-DA) and annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (annexin V-FITC), as indicator probes. The PDT/PTT synergistic efficiency of PpIX-IR-820@Lipo NPs on HeLa cells was verified, exhibiting a high efficiency of 70.5%. Thus, the novel theranostic PpIX-IR-820@Lipo NPs can be used as a promising PDT/PTT synergistic theranostic nanoplatform in future cervical cancer treatment.

Liposomes loaded with dual clinical photosensitizers for enhanced photodynamic therapy of cervical cancer

“…We measured the absorption spectrum of Ce6 and MB using the UV-2700 ultraviolet spectrograph at 665 nm. The concentrations of Ce6 and MB in Ce6-MB@Lips were acquired using the standard curve method and calculated by using the following formulas: 46,47 where the W Ce6/MB is the quantity of Ce6 or MB in the Ce6-MB@Lips, W Ce6-MB@Lips is the weight of the Ce6-MB@Lips, and W T was the total weight of the Ce6 or MB added.…”

“…We measured the absorption spectrum of Ce6 and MB using the UV-2700 ultraviolet spectrograph at 665 nm. The concentrations of Ce6 and MB in Ce6-MB@Lips were acquired using the standard curve method and calculated by using the following formulas: 46,47 DLC ð%Þ ¼…”

Near-infrared light-induced PDT/PTT synergistic phototherapy of cancer

“…Popular precision treatment modalities include PDT and PTT. Combining PDT/PTT can significantly increase the effectiveness of the treatment [4]. As of now, materials can be employed to construct a single NIR-II light-induced nanotherapy, and acoustic dynamic therapy (SDT) collaborative phototherapy can completely eradicate tumors.…”

Iron-Doped Metal–Zinc-Centered Organic Framework Mesoporous Carbon Derivatives for Single-Wavelength NIR-Activated Photothermal/Photodynamic Synergistic Therapy

“…Liu's group 4 explored the graphene oxide (GO) platform, which was functionalized with poly(ethylene glycol) and burdened with photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6), for cancer combination therapy improving the efficacy of PDT. Yan et al 11 reported the PpIX-IR-820@Lipo nanoparticles (NPs) which could kill cancer cells under 793 nm (PTT) and 450 nm (PDT) laser irradiation. However, these reported materials always demand two individual laser sources because their maximum absorption spectra usually do not overlap, causing undesirable practical operation.…”

“…The heat generated by graphene under laser irradiation can promote the absorption of Ce6 by cells, thus improving the efficacy of PDT. Yan et al reported the PpIX-IR-820@Lipo nanoparticles (NPs) which could kill cancer cells under 793 nm (PTT) and 450 nm (PDT) laser irradiation. However, these reported materials always demand two individual laser sources because their maximum absorption spectra usually do not overlap, causing undesirable practical operation. − At present, studies have been developed in a single-wavelength near-infrared (NIR) or visible laser-induced nanosystem with a double-mode of PTT/PDT.…”