Second Near-Infrared Light-Activatable CO Nanogenerator for Enhanced Cancer Photo-Theranostics

An NIR-II light-controlled CO nanogenerator based on an NIR-II-photothermal palladium nanosheet core and a porphyrin-palladium metal–organic framework (Pd-MOF) shell capable of coordinating/loading large amounts of CO with single-atom Pd was described for photoacoustic imaging guided photothermal/CO-combined therapy. The produced CO molecules efficiently increased PTT by downregulating Hsp protein expression and subsequently sensitizing cancer cells to heat, which demonstrated high therapeutic efficacy and may provide a new strategy for cancer theranostics.