Near-Infrared Responsive Nanoplatform for Synergistic Photothermal Therapy/Chemotherapy of Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is one of the most prevalent and lethal solid tumors worldwide. Traditional treatment methods mainly rely on chemotherapeutic drugs, which kill tumor cells by inhibiting their mitosis and proliferation. However, in clinical practice, first-line chemotherapeutic agents often exhibit short half-lives and induce a range of adverse reactions while potentially leading to tumor cell resistance, significantly reducing therapeutic efficacy. To address these issues, we developed a novel nanoplatform (TSPD), which used titanium dioxide (TiO₂) as a core template to fabricate porous silica-coated nanoparticles (TiO₂@SiO₂), further coated with the photothermal agent polydopamine (PDA) and loaded with docetaxel (DTX). Once internalized by tumor cells, TSPD rapidly released DTX under the acidic conditions of the endosomes, effectively inhibiting tumor cell proliferation. Upon near-infrared (NIR) irradiation, TSPD induced localized hyperthermia, which not only promoted tumor cell death but also accelerated the release of DTX. Furthermore, TSPD exhibited a prolonged tumor retention in vivo, markedly increasing drug retention time at the tumor site, thus enhancing the therapeutic effect. This study provides a promising strategy for the development of novel nanomedicines in the synergistic application of photothermal therapy (PTT) and chemotherapy.