A pH/temperature responsive nanocomposite for chemo-photothermal synergistic cancer therapy

Abstract

<p>To optimize synergistic breast cancer treatment, a nanocomposite was fabricated with pH-temperature responsive and chemo-photothermal combination therapy. Herein, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/gold-nanorod" title="Learn more about gold nanorods from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">gold nanorods</a> (AuNRs) are coated with [poly[(N-isopropylacrylamide)-co-(methacrylic acid)] (p(NIPAM-co-MAA)) modified <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/mesoporous-silica" title="Learn more about mesoporous silica from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">mesoporous silica</a> (MS) for <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/doxorubicin" title="Learn more about Doxorubicin from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">Doxorubicin</a> (DOX) delivery (AuNR@DOX-MS@p(NIPAM-co-MAA)). Upon NIR radiation, the AuNR core induced hyperthermia via generating heat. Simultaneously, the polymer layer collapsed in response to high temperature/low pH, which allowed the triggering of DOX release from the MS shell at the tumor site. With this nanocomposite, nearly zero premature release of DOX at physiological pH/temperature was detected, while effective DOX release was reported at higher temperature/lower pH values. In addition, <em>in vitro</em> studies demonstrated that the nanocomposite has a substantial uptake efficiency of MDA-MB-231 breast <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/cancer-cell" title="Learn more about cancer cells from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">cancer cells</a>, with a significant increase in suppressing MDA-MB-231 ​cell proliferation in response to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/laser-irradiation" title="Learn more about laser irradiation from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">laser irradiation</a>. The <em>in vivo</em> experiments further verified the high efficiency of the fabricated nanocomposite in accumulating at the tumor site and the good capability in suppressing tumor growth in the mice upon <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/intravenous-drug-administration" title="Learn more about intravenous injection from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">intravenous injection</a>, while exhibiting good biosafety in relation to major organs in the body. Thus, the synthesized nanocomposite could be a potential <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/nanocarrier" title="Learn more about nanocarrier from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">nanocarrier</a> for breast cancer treatment with synergistic chemo-photothermal therapeutic capability.<br></p>