Wearable OLED-Assisted Photodynamic Cancer Therapy Using Chlorin e6-Loaded Pluronic Nanocapsules as Photosensitizers

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a minimally invasive cancer treatment strategy. Despite numerous studies confirming its potential advantages, the clinical translation of this technique remains limited owing to the impracticality of using conventional light sources and the instability of photosensitizers. This study presents a novel PDT approach that utilizes organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) as compact, low-thermal, wearable, and flexible light sources to activate chlorin e6 (Ce6)-loaded Pluronic nanocapsules (Ce6/Plu NCs) for anticancer therapy. Here, different types of Pluronic polymers are used and optimized to synthesize ∼120 nm-diameter Ce6/Plu NCs. Among the formulated systems, the Ce6/PP123 NCs show optimal spectral characteristics and the highest therapeutic efficacy in vitro, and efficient tumor accumulation after intravenous injection and significant antitumor efficacy upon OLED irradiation with minimal off-target toxicity in vivo. Tissue-attachable OLEDs for PDT can be placed in close proximity to tumor tissue for efficient light delivery. The combination of the Ce6/PP123 NCs with a novel wearable OLED is a promising platform for effective and safe PDT in cancer treatment.