Abstract
Photosensitizers (PSs) are light-sensitive molecules that are highly hydrophobic, which poses a challenge to their use for targeted photodynamic therapy. Hence, considerable efforts have been made to develop carriers for the delivery of PSs. Herein, a novel design is described of highly biocompatible, fluorescent, folic acid (FA)-functionalized carbon nanodots (CDs) as carriers for the PS zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) to achieve simultaneous biological imaging and targeted photodynamic therapy. FA is modified on PEG-passivated CDs (CD-PEG) for targeted delivery to FA-positive cancer cells, and ZnPc is loaded onto CD-PEG-FA via π-π stacking interactions. CD-PEG-FA/ZnPc exhibits excellent targeted delivery of the PS, leading to simultaneous imaging and significant targeted photodynamic therapy after irradiation in vitro and in vivo. The present CD-based targeted delivery of PSs is anticipated to offer a convenient and effective platform for enhanced photodynamic therapy to treat cancers in the near future.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 5781-5789 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Advanced Functional Materials |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 37 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 Oct 1 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Chemistry(all)
- Materials Science(all)
- Condensed Matter Physics