Diketopyrrolopyrrole-Based Photosensitizers Conjugated with Chemotherapeutic Agents for Multimodal Tumor Therapy

Yu Cai, Pingping Liang, Qianyun Tang, Weili Si, Peng Chen, Qi Zhang, Xiaochen Dong

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

44 Scopus citations

Abstract

For synergistic cancer therapy, it is highly desirable to devise a single multifunctional agent to combine photodynamic therapy (PDT), photothermal therapy (PTT), and chemotherapy, which is soluble and excitable at low irradiation, as well as able to selectively target tumors and achieve high efficacy. Toward this ambition, here the chemotherapy drugs chlorambucil (Cb), and all trans retinoic acid (ATRA) are covalently conjugated onto a small dye molecule diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP-Cb and DPP-ATRA). The soluble nanoparticles (NPs) of DPP-Cb and DPP-ATRA formed by reprecipitation can selectively accumulate in tumors, release chemotherapy drugs under acidic conditions, and exhibit efficient reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and photothermal conversion under the irradiation of a low power xenon lamp (40 mW/cm2). We show in vitro and in vivo that both NPs can effectively kill cancer cells and suppress cancer growth at a low dose (0.4 mg/kg).

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)30398-30405
Number of pages8
JournalACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
Volume9
Issue number36
DOIs
StatePublished - 13 Sep 2017

Keywords

  • chemotherapy
  • diketopyrrolopyrrole
  • multifunctional agents
  • photodynamic therapy
  • photothermal therapy

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