Novel photodynamic therapy using two-dimensional NiPS3 nanosheets that target hypoxic microenvironments for precise cancer treatment
Wu Zongze,
Liu Quan,
Wageh Swelm,
Sun Zhe,
Al-Hartomy Omar A.,
Al-Sehemi Abdullah G.,
Yan Lesen,
Chen Jiaojuan,
Zhang Wenjian,
Yang Jilin,
Zhang Han,
Liu Liping
Affiliations
Wu Zongze
Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Shenzhen People’s Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen518020, Guangdong, P. R. China
Liu Quan
Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Shenzhen People’s Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen518020, Guangdong, P. R. China
Wageh Swelm
Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah21589, Saudi Arabia
Sun Zhe
Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Shenzhen People’s Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen518020, Guangdong, P. R. China
Al-Hartomy Omar A.
Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah21589, Saudi Arabia
Al-Sehemi Abdullah G.
Research Center for Advanced Materials Science (RCAMS), King Khalid University, P.O. Box 9004, Abha61413, Saudi Arabia
Yan Lesen
Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Shenzhen People’s Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen518020, Guangdong, P. R. China
Chen Jiaojuan
Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Shenzhen People’s Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen518020, Guangdong, P. R. China
Zhang Wenjian
Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Shenzhen People’s Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen518020, Guangdong, P. R. China
Yang Jilin
Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Shenzhen People’s Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen518020, Guangdong, P. R. China
Zhang Han
Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, and Otolaryngology Department and Biobank of the First Affiliated Hospital, Health Science Center, Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen518060, Guangdong, P. R. China
Liu Liping
Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Shenzhen People’s Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen518020, Guangdong, P. R. China
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a highly promising modality against cancer, but its efficacy is severely limited by the low oxygen content in solid tumors. In this study, a smart photosensitive NiPS3 nanosheet was developed to solve the problem of low oxygen to allow PDT to be performed against tumors. The photosensitized ROS generation mechanism of NiPS3 is the photon-generated electron-hole pathway, which can generate O2 ·− and ·OH at the conduction band and valance band, respectively. More crucial is that ·OH generation doesn’t need O2, and the O2 ·− can also work in a low O2 environment, and depleting oxygen in tumor cells. Modified with triphenylphosphine (TPP) and based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations and experimental data, the NiPS3@TPP nano-system underwent targeted action toward mitochondria. In vitro experiments demonstrated that the reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by NiPS3@TPP altered mitochondrial membrane permeability, which not only prolonged the PDT effect but also resulted in mitochondria apoptosis pathways inducing an apoptosis cascade. In vivo experiments demonstrated the targeting capability with low toxicity of the NiPS3@TPP nano-system. Tumor targeting at the tested dose indicated that it represented a promising biocompatible photosensitizer for in vivo biomedical applications.
