Therapeutic platforms with spatiotemporal
control were recently
of considerable interest. However, the site-specific regulation of
chemotherapeutics release remains an enormous challenge. Herein, a
versatile nanoplatform capable of tumor-specific delivery and controlled
drug release, coined as PDDFe, was constructed for elevating cancer
theranostics. Iron-oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) and doxorubicin (Dox)
were encapsulated in pH/thermal-sensitive micelles composed of poly(ethylene)glycol-poly(β-amino
esters) and dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine to obtain tumor-targeted
dual-responsive nanoplatforms. With remarkable magnetic targeting
effects, PDDFe specifically accumulated at tumor locations. After
internalization by cancer cells, the acidic environment and localized
heat generated by hyperthermia therapy would spur PDDFe to become
loose and collapse to liberate its payload. In addition to boosting
the release, the increased temperature also resulted in direct tumor
damage. Meanwhile, the released Dox and IONPs, respectively, stimulated
chemotherapy and chemodynamic therapy to jointly destroy cancer, thus
leading to a pronounced therapeutic effect. In vivo magnetic resonance/fluorescence/photoacoustic
imaging experiments validated that the dual-sensitive nanoplatforms
were able to accumulate at the tumor sites. Treatment with PDDFe followed
by alternating magnetic field and laser irradiation could prime hyperthermia/chemo/chemodynamic
therapy to effectively retard tumor growth. This work presents a nanoplatform
with a site-specific controlled release characteristic, showing great
promises in potentiating drug delivery and advancing combinational
cancer therapy.