Photothermal conversion-coordinated Fenton-like and photocatalytic reactions of Cu2-xSe-Au Janus nanoparticles for tri-combination antitumor therapy

In vivo chemical reactions activated by the tumor microenvironment (TME) are particularly promising for antitumor treatments. Herein, employing Cu2-xSe-Au Janus nanoparticles (NPs), photothermal conversion-coordinated Fenton-like and photocatalytic reactions are demonstrated in vitro/vivo. The amorphous form of Cu2-xSe and the catalytic effect of Au benefit the center dot OH generation, and the photo-induced electron-hole separation of the Janus NPs produces additional center dot OH. The plasmonic electrons of Au facilitate the conversion from Cu2+ to Cu+. Both Cu2-xSe and Au contributes to the efficient photothermal conversion, further promoting the reactions. As a result, the H2O2 utilization rate is largely increased, and remarkable generation of reactive oxygen species is achieved by cell endogenous H2O2 in vitro/vivo. A competent tumor inhibition effect is afforded, with high-contrast multimodal imaging. This work opens up the route synergistically integrating photothermal therapy with chemodynamic therapy and photocatalytic therapy into tri-combination antitumor therapy, simply by heterojunction of semiconductor and noble metal.