Synthesis of Hemoglobin Conjugated Polymeric Micelle: A ZnPc Carrier with Oxygen Self-Compensating Ability for Photodynamic Therapy

Abstract

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising singlet oxygen ((1)O2) mediated clinical treatment for many tumors. As the source of (1)O2, oxygen plays an important role in the curative effect of PDT. However, the facts of photochemical depletion of oxygen and the intrinsic hypoxic microenvironment of tumors remain the major challenges. In this work, a novel photosensitizer carrier with oxygen self-compensating ability was designed for PDT. It was synthesized via chemical conjugation of hemoglobin (Hb) to polymeric micelles formed by triblock copolymers of poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(acrylic acid)-block-polystyrene (PEG-b-PAA-b-PS). The PEG-b-PAA-b-PS and resultant micelles in aqueous solution were comprehensively characterized by means of FTIR, (1)H NMR, GPC, DLS, TEM, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The oxygen-binding capacity and antioxidative activity of the Hb conjugated micelles were evaluated via UV-vis spectroscopy. In addition, compared with the control micelles without Hb, the Hb conjugated photosensitizer carrier was able to generate more (1)O2 and exert greater photocytotoxicity on Hela cells in vitro.

Reactive oxygen species generating systems meeting challenges of photodynamic cancer therapy

“…Importantly, the resulting PDT formula was able to generate more 1 O 2 and greater photocytotoxicity in Hela cells in vitro , compared to ZnPc-loaded micelles without Hb. 162 …”

Synthesis and Characterization of Dual-Sensitive Fluorescent Nanogels for Enhancing Drug Delivery and Tracking Intracellular Drug Delivery

“…bAPSC nanogels were prepared through covalent interactions, self-assembling, and electrostatic interactions through probe sonication (in DMSO) and aqueous dialysis [47]. Briefly, 20 mg of bAPSC conjugate was dissolved in 5 mL of DMSO and 2 mL of distilled water with gentle stirring at 37 °C to obtain a clear solution.…”

A Bacteriochlorin‐Based Metal–Organic Framework Nanosheet Superoxide Radical Generator for Photoacoustic Imaging‐Guided Highly Efficient Photodynamic Therapy

“…[1][2][3] Photodynamic therapy (PDT) utilizes a photosensitizer (PS) excited by an appropriate light irradiation to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS); in most of cases, it involves a process that the ground triplet-state molecular oxygen ( 3 O 2 ) is transformed to the reactive singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) via the type II mechanism extremely dependent on the concentration of oxygen (O 2 ). [8,9] To address this issue, various innovative strategies have been developed, such as O 2 -replenishing nanosystem to deliver O 2 (e.g., hemoglobin and perfluorocarbon) [10][11][12][13][14] or oxygen self-supplement nanomaterials to generate O 2 (e.g., MnO 2 , Pt, CaO 2 , and catalase) [15][16][17][18][19] in the tumor microenvironment to elevate the tumor O 2 concentration and enhance the PDT efficacy. [8,9] To address this issue, various innovative strategies have been developed, such as O 2 -replenishing nanosystem to deliver O 2 (e.g., hemoglobin and perfluorocarbon) [10][11][12][13][14] or oxygen self-supplement nanomaterials to generate O 2 (e.g., MnO 2 , Pt, CaO 2 , and catalase) [15][16][17][18][19] in the tumor microenvironment to elevate the tumor O 2 concentration and enhance the PDT efficacy.…”