Enhanced Photothermal-Photodynamic Therapy by Indocyanine Green and Curcumin-Loaded Layered MoS2 Hollow Spheres via Inhibition of P-Glycoprotein

• Published in: International journal of nanomedicine Vol. 16; pp. 433 - 442
• Main Authors: Li, Shuai, Yang, Shuping, Liu, Chong, He, Jintong, Li, Tian, Fu, Changhui, Meng, Xianwei, Shao, Haibo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Macclesfield Taylor & Francis Ltd 01.01.2021; Dove; Dove Medical Press
• Subjects: curcumin; Drug dosages; Glycoproteins; hepatocellular carcinoma; indocyanine green; Laboratory animals; Lasers; Liver cancer; Medical research; Morphology; mos2; Original Research; p-glycoprotein; Photodynamic therapy; photothermal-photodynamic therapy; Scanning electron microscopy; Transmission electron microscopy; Beijing China; China
• ISSN: 1178-2013; 1176-9114; 1178-2013
• DOI: 10.2147/IJN.S275938

Purpose: P-glycoprotein (P-gp), which is highly expressed in liver cancer cells, is one of the obstacles for the treatment of cancer. In this study, we have prepared and characterized a kind of novel ICG&Cur@MoS2 (ICG and Cur represent indocyanine green and curcumin, respectively) nanoplatform, which can achieve photothermal-photodynamic therapy and inhibit the P-gp effectively and safely. Methods: In this work, plenty of studies including drug release, acute toxicity, Western blot, real-time PCR, cell viability, therapeutic experiment in vivo, immunofluorescence and so on were conducted to test the antitumor potential of ICG&Cur@MoS2 and the inhibitory effect of curcumin on P-gp. Results: The ICG&Cur@MoS2 NPs exhibit an excellent photothermal effect and relatively low toxicity. Cell viability in the ICG&Cur@MoS2 + NIR group was significantly lower than that in ICG@MoS2 + NIR group (75.3% vs 81.2%, 59.0% vs 64.4%, 20.3% vs 27.5%, and 15.4% vs 22.3%) at the concentration of ICG at 0.5, 5, 25, 50 μg/mL (P< 0.05 at each concentration). Western blot, Q-PCR, and immunofluorescence assay indicate ICG&Cur@MoS2 NPs can inhibit the P-gp effectively and safely. In vivo, the tumors in the ICG@MoS2 + NIR group are significantly smaller than those in the MoS2 + NIR group (95.0 vs 420.9 mm3, p< 0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, we have successfully synthesized ICG&Cur@MoS2 nanoparticles which can not only achieve PTT-PDT but also inhibit P-gp effectively. Our findings indicate that the PTT-PDT exhibits great potential in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Meanwhile, ICG&Cur@MoS2 can effectively inhibit the expression of P-gp, which will enhance the PDT effect.