A Red Light-Triggered Drug Release System Based on One-Photon Upconversion-Like Photolysis

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Photochemistry

Background:

• Photoresponsive drug release systems offer targeted drug delivery, but current methods often use harmful UV or blue light with limited tissue penetration.
• Existing one-photon upconversion-like photolysis strategies for prodrug cleavage face challenges with hydrophobic components and oxygen sensitivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a biocompatible, red light-triggered drug release system utilizing a one-photon upconversion-like photolysis strategy.
• To overcome the limitations of hydrophobic components and oxygen sensitivity in previous photolysis systems for enhanced cancer therapy.

Main Methods:

• Loading hydrophobic prodrugs and photosensitizers into biocompatible, biodegradable polymeric micelles.
• Utilizing low-irradiance red light to activate the photolysis of prodrugs within the micelles.
• Evaluating system stability, drug release kinetics, and therapeutic efficacy in vitro and in vivo.

Main Results:

• A stable, ~40 nm red light-triggered drug release system was successfully developed.
• Micellar encapsulation protected the photolysis reaction from oxygen quenching in aqueous solutions.
• Red light irradiation significantly enhanced the therapeutic effect in both in vitro and in vivo cancer models.

Conclusions:

• The developed polymeric micelle system provides an effective strategy for red light-triggered drug release, overcoming previous limitations.
• This system demonstrates significant potential for improving cancer therapy through enhanced drug accumulation and reduced side effects.
• This work serves as a foundational example for applying one-photon upconversion-like photolysis in biomedical applications.