PEGylated mesoporous Bi2S3 nanostars loaded with chlorin e6 and doxorubicin for fluorescence/CT imaging-guided multimodal therapy of cancer

Taking advantage of the mesoporous structure of bismuth sulfide nanostars (Bi(2)S(3 )NSs), a chemotherapeutic drug of doxorubicin (DOX) and a photosensitizer of chlorin e6 (Ce6) were concurrently loaded in the PEGylated Bi(2)S(3 )NSs to formulate a multifunctional nanocomplex (BPDC NSs) for tumor theranostics. BPDC NSs have excellent photothermal conversion efficiency and a capacity of yielding reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon laser irradiation, and can realize on-demand drug release by either pH-activation or thermal induction. Accumulation of the nanodnig could be monitored in real-time by infrared thermal imaging, fluorescence imaging and computed tomography (CT). More importantly. the combination effects of photothermal therapy (PTT), photodynamic therapy (PDT) and chemotherapy were demonstrated to dramatically suppress solid tumors without recurrence in vivo. Featuring low systemic toxicity and high biocompatibility, this nanoplatform could be a promising derivative of Bi2S3 NSs for imaging-guided theranostics of cancer. (C) 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.