Polydopamine-Based Multifunctional Antitumor Nanoagent for Phototherapy and Photodiagnosis by Regulating Redox Balance
Jie Feng, Jialin Gao, Ruoyu Zhang, Wen-Xiu Ren, Yu‐Bin Dong
Abstract
The development of multifunctional nanoagents for the simultaneous achievement of high diagnostic and therapeutic performances is significant for precise cancer treatment. Herein, we report on a polydopamine (PDA)-based multifunctional nanoagent, PML, in which the methylene blue (MB) photosensitizer (PS) and l-arginine (l-Arg) tumor-targeting species are equipped. After selectively accumulating in tumor sites, glutathione (GSH)-responsive PML degradation can controllably release loaded MB to produce singlet oxygen (1O2) under near-infrared (NIR) photoirradiation. This GSH-depleted PS release process can not only weaken the body’s antioxidant defence ability but also synergistically increase the 1O2 concentration. Therefore, GSH depletion-enhanced photodynamic therapy (PDT) efficiency is logically achieved by regulating the intracellular redox balance. In addition, our nanoagent can guide photoacoustic/NIR thermal dual-modal imaging and convert light into heat for cooperative cancer phototherapy because of the inherent photothermal conversion nature of PDA. As a result, excellent in vivo antitumor phototherapy (PDT + PTT) is achieved under the precise guidance of dual-modal imaging. This work not only realizes the integration of cancer diagnosis and treatment through PDA-based nanocarriers but also delivers dimensions in designing the next generation of multifunctional antitumor nanoagents for enhanced phototherapy and photodiagnosis by regulating the redox balance.