Combined chemo- and photo-thermal therapy delivered by multifunctional theranostic gold nanorod-loaded microcapsules.
A polyelectrolyte microcapsule-based, cancer-targeting, and controlled drug delivery system has been developed as a multifunctional theranostic agent for synergistic cancer treatment. This new system, called FA-MC@GNR, is composed of folic acid (FA)-modified, multi-layered, hollow microcapsules loaded with gold nanorods (GNRs), and undergoes thermal degradation under near infrared (NIR) light. Either an NIR dye (MPA) or anti-cancer drug (doxorubicin, DOX) was loaded into the microcapsules via physical adsorption, yielding FA-MC@GNRs/MPA or FA-MC@GNRs/DOX, both of which exhibit no obvious toxicity, high stability, and remarkably improved tumor-targeting capabilities in vivo. Utilizing the strong NIR absorption of FA-MC@GNRs/DOX, we demonstrate the system's ability to simultaneously elicit photothermal therapy and controlled chemotherapy, achieving synergistic cancer treatment both in vitro cellular and in vivo animal experiments. Our study presents a new type of multifunctional micro-carrier for the delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs and photothermal agents, which has been shown to be an effective therapeutic approach for combined cancer treatment.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tongjia Xiang, Gulou District, Nanjing 210009, China. guyueqing@hotmail.com.
Haiyan
H
Chen
Yingfeng
Y
Di
Dan
D
Chen
Kyle
K
Madrid
Min
M
Zhang
Caiping
C
Tian
Liping
L
Tang
Yueqing
Y
Gu
D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D002214:Capsules / Q000737:chemistry*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D006979:Hyperthermia, Induced; D007259:Infrared Rays; D061986:MCF-7 Cells; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D043942:Nanotubes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D010778:Photochemotherapy; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D002214:Capsules; D004337:Drug Carriers; D006046:Gold; D004317:Doxorubicin