Photothermal-driven disassembly of naphthalocyanine nano-photosensitizers for photothermal and photodynamic therapy

The disassembly of nanomaterials is of particular interest for high-quality imaging and targeted therapies in the field of nanomedicine. In this study, we developed a novel strategy for fabricating self-assembled naph-thalocyanine photosensitizers (SiNc@CEL) with intrinsically unique photochemical and photophysical proper-ties. SiNc@CEL could be disassembled under the photothermal effect, and its photoactivity could be enhanced by 780 nm laser irradiation. Moreover, SiNc@CEL generates reactive oxygen species, including superoxide radicals (O2 & BULL;-) and singlet oxygen (1O2), as well as good photothermal properties, facilitating the application of multi-functional phototherapy. In vitro evaluation indicated that SiNc@CEL possesses an excellent bactericidal effect under a combination of photodynamic (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT). The in vivo treatment of a full -layer skin defect model of Escherichia coli (E. coli) infection showed that SiNc@CEL had superior antibacterial and wound-healing abilities. These results provide the basis for a feasible strategy to enhance the photo -therapeutic effect of photosensitizer (PS) systems.

Automated summary

In this study, a novel strategy was developed for fabricating self-assembled naphthalocyanine photosensitizers (SiNc@CEL) with unique photochemical and photophysical properties. SiNc@CEL could be disassembled under the photothermal effect and its photoactivity could be enhanced by 780 nm laser irradiation. SiNc@CEL generated reactive oxygen species and had good photothermal properties, facilitating the application of multi-functional phototherapy.