Rapid release from near-infrared polymer loaded liposomes for photothermal and chemo-combined therapy

PEGylated liposomal doxorubicin is a polymeric antitumor drug approved clinically by the Food and Drug Administration, but it has no essentially increasing efficacy compared to free doxorubicin (DOX) because of the slow release rate. In this paper, a near-infrared polymer was designed and encapsulated in liposomes to photothermally accelerate the release of DOX. This polymer loaded liposome provides a maximum absorption that covers the ideal phototherapeutic window between 800 and 850 nm, which ensures an efficient photothermal release of DOX as a nano drug for the delivery of photothermal and chemo-combined therapy in a highly efficient cancer treatment.