A mitochondrial-metabolism-regulatable carrier-free nanodrug to amplify the sensitivity of photothermal therapy

The oxidative phosphorylation inhibitor atovaquone (ATO) and the photosensitizer new indocyanine green (IR820) were self-assembled into carrier-free nanodrugs (IR820/ATO NPs) to achieve superior photothermal therapy (PTT), offering an attractive mitochondrial metabolism-regulatable approach for breast cancer treatment, where adenosine triphosphate (ATP) was downregulated along with downregulating the expression of heat shock proteins (HSPs) to amplify the sensitivity of PTT.

Automated summary

The self-assembled carrier-free nanodrugs, IR820/ATO NPs, offer a superior photothermal therapy approach for breast cancer treatment by regulating mitochondrial metabolism, reducing ATP levels, and suppressing HSPs expression to enhance PTT sensitivity.