Degradable Calcium Phosphate-Coated Upconversion Nanoparticles for Highly Efficient Chemo-Photodynamic Therapy

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Oncology

Background:

• Chemotherapy faces challenges with accuracy and efficiency.
• Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is limited by low photosensitizer dosage and light penetration depth.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a multifunctional nanoplatform for enhanced chemotherapy and PDT.
• To achieve synergistic anticancer effects and real-time monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Designed a core-shell nanoplatform with upconversion nanoparticles, chlorin e6 (Ce6), and doxorubicin (DOX) coated with calcium phosphate.
• Utilized pH-responsive degradation for controlled DOX release and 808 nm near-infrared light for Ce6-induced PDT.
• Incorporated rare earth ions (Gd3+, Yb3+, Nd3+) for trimode imaging (UCL, MRI, CT).

Main Results:

• The nanoplatform demonstrated rapid degradation and DOX release in a weakly acidic tumor microenvironment.
• DOX release was pH-dependent and correlated with calcium ion concentration, enabling real-time monitoring.
• Synergistic chemo-photodynamic therapy showed high efficiency both in vitro and in vivo.
• The nanoplatform exhibited trimode imaging capabilities for guided therapy.

Conclusions:

• The developed nanoplatform offers a promising strategy for precise and efficient synergistic chemo-photodynamic therapy.
• The integrated imaging capabilities allow for real-time monitoring and guidance of cancer treatment.