Red-Emitting Upconverting Nanoparticles for Photodynamic Therapy in Cancer Cells Under Near-Infrared Excitation

• Published in: Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) Vol. 9; no. 11; pp. 1929 - 1938
• Main Authors: Tian, Gan, Ren, Wenlu, Yan, Liang, Jian, Shan, Gu, Zhanjun, Zhou, Liangjun, Jin, Shan, Yin, Wenyan, Li, Shoujian, Zhao, Yuliang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim WILEY-VCH Verlag 10.06.2013; WILEY‐VCH Verlag; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: alpha-Cyclodextrins - chemistry; Animals; Cancer; Chemotherapy; combinational therapy; Drugs; Fluorescence; Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer; Humans; Indoles - chemistry; Indoles - therapeutic use; Lung Neoplasms - drug therapy; Lung Neoplasms - metabolism; Mice; Nanomaterials; Nanoparticles; Nanoparticles - chemistry; Nanoparticles - therapeutic use; Nanostructure; Nanotechnology; Organometallic Compounds - chemistry; Organometallic Compounds - therapeutic use; Oxygen; Photochemotherapy - methods; Photodynamic therapy; Photosensitizing Agents - chemistry; Photosensitizing Agents - therapeutic use; Porphyrins - chemistry; Porphyrins - therapeutic use; Rats; red-emitting upconverting nanoparticles; Singlet Oxygen - metabolism; upconversion
• ISSN: 1613-6810; 1613-6829; 1613-6829
• DOI: 10.1002/smll.201201437

Upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) have attracted considerable attention as potential photosensitizer carriers for photodynamic therapy (PDT) in deep tissues. In this work, a new and efficient NIR photosensitizing nanoplatform for PDT based on red‐emitting UCNPs is designed. The red emission band matches well with the efficient absorption bands of the widely used commercially available photosensitizers (Ps), benefiting the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from UCNPs to the attached photosensitizers and thus efficiently activating them to generate cytotoxic singlet oxygen. Three commonly used photosensitizers, including chlorine e6 (Ce6), zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) and methylene blue (MB), are loaded onto the alpha‐cyclodextrin‐modified UCNPs to form Ps@UCNPs complexes that efficiently produce singlet oxygen to kill cancer cells under 980 nm near‐infrared excitation. Moreover, two different kinds of drugs are co‐loaded onto these nanoparticles: chemotherapy drug doxorubicin and PDT agent Ce6. The combinational therapy based on doxorubicin (DOX)‐induced chemotherapy and Ce6‐triggered PDT exhibits higher therapeutic efficacy relative to the individual means for cancer therapy in vitro. Red‐emitting upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) are investigated as a highly efficient 980‐nm NIR photosensitizing nanoplatform for photodynamic therapy (PDT). The red emission band matches well with the efficient absorption bands of the commercial available photosensitizers, benefiting the fluorescence resonance energy transfer from UCNPs to the attached photosensitizers and thus efficiently activating them. In addition, a cooperative therapeutic UCNP‐based system combining chemotherapy and PDT is constructed.