Developing bioresponsive nanocarriers with particular tumor cell targeting and on-demand payload release has remained a great challenge for combined chemo-photodynamic therapy (chemo-PDT). In this study, an intelligent nanocarrier (DATAT-NPCe6) responded to hierarchical endogenous tumor pH, and an exogenous red light was developed through a simple mixed micelle approach. The outside TAT ligand was masked to prevent an unexpected interaction in blood circulation. Following the accumulation of DATAT-NPCe6 in tumor tissues, tumor acidity at pH ∼6.5 recovered its targeting ability via triggering DA moiety degradation. Furthermore, the cascaded chemo-PDT was accomplished through light-stimulated nanocarrier disassembly and doxorubicin (DOX) release. Taking advantage of stability and controllability, this work provides a facile approach to designing bioresponsive nanocarriers and represents a proof-of-concept combinatorial chemo-PDT treatment.
Keywords: TAT presenting; chemo-photodynamic combination therapy; nanocarrier; on-demand drug release; tumor acidity responsive.
Copyright © 2022 Zhang, Gao and Sun.