In Vitro Therapeutic Attributes of Luminescent Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles in Codelivery Module

Imminent prospects of clinical importance have been accomplished through divergent treatment modalities implemented using nanoscale platforms. In the present study, hydroxyapatite nanoparticles doped with copper nanoclusters (HAPs) were explored for codelivery of a hydrophobic drug, namely, norfloxacin (NX), and a hydrophilic photosensitizer, such as methylene blue (MB). NX and MB were successfully homed into HAPs (MB-NX-HAPs), which further exhibited a pH-dependent release of both. With the objective of attaining an enhanced effect, MB-NX-HAPs were evaluated for combination therapy, involving chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy (PDT) with irradiation at 640 nm. The combinatorial therapy approach was initially applied for antibacterial therapy, which suggested a considerable reduction in bacterial growth of Gram-negative strain Pseudomonas aeruginosa MTCC 2488. Thereafter, the antiproliferative study performed in cancer cell lines (HeLa and MCF-7) revealed the efficiency of MB-NX-HAPs in bestowing a combinatorial effect through chemotherapy and PDT (irradiation at 640 nm). The combined effect exerted through MB-NX-HAPs subsequently induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, cell cycle alteration, and apoptosis activation in cancer cells. The biocompatible nature of MB-NX-HAPs was appreciably shown through their minimal effect on the normal cell line (HEK-293). Additionally, HAPs through luminescence of copper nanoclusters were suggested to aid in bioimaging of cancer cell lines.