MRI-guided cell membrane-camouflaged bimetallic coordination nanoplatform for combined tumor phototherapy

Nanotechnology for tumor diagnosis and optical therapy has attracted widespread interest due to its low toxicity and convenience but is severely limited due to uncontrollable tumor targeting. In this work, homologous cancer cell membrane-camouflaged multifunctional hybrid metal coordination nanoparticles (DRu/Gd@CM) were prepared for MRI-guided photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) of tumors. Bimetallic coordination nanoparticles are composed of three functional modules: dopamine, Ru(dcbpy)₃Cl₂ and GdCl₃, which are connected through 1,4-Bis[(1H-imidazole-1-yl)methyl]benzene (BIX). Their morphology can be easily controlled by adjusting the ratio of precursors. Optimistically, the intrinsic properties of the precursors, including the photothermal properties of polydopamine (PDA), the magnetic resonance (MR) response of Gd³⁺, and the singlet oxygen generation of Ru(dcbpy)₃Cl₂, are well preserved in the hybrid metal nanoparticles. Furthermore, the targeting of homologous cancer cell membranes enables these coordinated nanoparticles to precisely target tumor cells. The MR imaging capabilities and the combination of PDT and PTT were demonstrated in in vitro experiments. In addition, in vivo experiments indicated that the nanoplatform showed excellent tumor accumulation and therapeutic effects on mice with subcutaneous tumors, and could effectively eliminate tumors within 14 days. Therefore, it expanded the new horizon for the preparation of modular nanoplatform and imaging-guided optical therapy of tumors.