For harmonizing the contradiction of nanotheranostic agents between enhanced tumor accumulation and penetration, efficient cell internalization and fast elimination are key tactics for promoting their clinical applications. Herein, programmed stimuli-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-carbon dot (PNIPAM-CD) hybrid nanogels are designed to address the abovementioned conflicts. The enlarged particle size of PNIPAM-CDs enables one to effectively improve their accumulation at tumor sites. Once the hybrid nanogels are docked in tumors and exposed to deep-red-light (660 nm) irradiation, heat and reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated from the CDs, consequently activating photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) effects and meanwhile inducing partial degradation of PNIPAM-CDs for deep tissue penetration. Further, enhanced cellular internalization of the functional components can be achieved owing to the pH-responsive charge reversal and temperature-dependent hydrophilic/hydrophobic conversion characteristics of PNIPAM-CDs. Finally, the overexpressed glutathione (GSH) in tumor cells would trigger further cleavage of the partially degraded hybrid nanogels, which is beneficial for their rapid clearance from the body. This work not only proposed a novel strategy to fabricate nanotheranostic agents using just a single functional component (i.e., the versatile CDs) to simplify the preparation process but also achieved effective delivery of agents into tumor cells by overcoming the multiple biological barriers to enhance therapeutic efficacy and decrease side effects.
Keywords: carbon dots; nanogel hybrids; stimuli-responsiveness; theranostic agents; tumor phototherapy.