Open AccessHybrid Theranostic Cubosomes for Efficient NIR-Induced Photodynamic Therapy
Author(s) -
Urszula Bazylińska,
Dominika Wawrzyńczyk,
Julita Kulbacka,
Giacomo Picci,
Livia Salvati Manni,
Stephan Handschin,
Marco Fornasier,
Claudia Caltagirone,
Raffaele Mezzenga,
Sergio Murgia
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
acs nano
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.554
H-Index - 382
eISSN - 1936-086X
pISSN - 1936-0851
DOI - 10.1021/acsnano.1c09367
Subject(s) - nanocarriers , photodynamic therapy , surface modification , chitosan , sonodynamic therapy , daunorubicin , chemistry , biophysics , nanoparticle , nanomedicine , materials science , drug delivery , nanotechnology , cancer research , biochemistry , medicine , leukemia , biology , organic chemistry
In recent years, lipid bicontinuous cubic liquid-crystalline nanoparticles known as cubosomes have been under investigation because of their favorable properties as drug nanocarriers useful for anticancer treatments. Herein, we present organic/inorganic hybrid, theranostic cubosomes stabilized in water with a shell of alternate layers of chitosan, single strand DNA (model genetic material for potential gene therapy), and folic acid-chitosan conjugate (the outmost layer), coencapsulating up-converting Er 3+ and Yb 3+ codoped NaYF 4 nanoparticles and daunorubicin. The latter acts as a chemotherapeutic drug of photosensitizing activity, while up-converting nanoparticles serve as energy harvester and diagnostic agent. Cellular uptake and NIR-induced photodynamic therapy were evaluated in vitro against human skin melanoma (MeWo) and ovarian (SKOV-3) cancer cells. Results evidenced the preferential uptake of the theranostic cubosomes in SKOV-3 cells in comparison to uptake in MeWo cells, and this effect was enhanced by the folic acid functionalization of the cubosomes surface. Nanocarriers coloaded with the hybrid fluorophores exhibited a superior NIR-induced photodynamic activity, also confirmed by the improved mitochondrial activity and the most affecting f-actin fibers of cytoskeleton. Similar results, but with higher photocytotoxicity, were detected when folic acid-functionalized cubosomes were incubated with SKOV-3 cells. Taken on the whole, these results prove these hybrid cubosomes are good candidates for the photodynamic treatment of tumor lesions.