Long rod-shaped gallium composite material: Self-separating material aggregation induced enhancement of ROS for photothermal/photodynamic therapy of HCT116 cells

As many of the disadvantages of traditional single therapy can be avoided with combination therapy, combination therapy has become a new treatment method. Herein, a long rod-shaped gallium composite multifunctional material (CP–Au-PEG-FA@BSA@IR780) based on chemotherapy therapy (CT), photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) is constructed to increase reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and Au NP release. CP-Au-PEG-FA@BSA@IR780 has fluorescence localization characteristics and can combine with CT-DNA to cause cancer cell apoptosis. The in vitro cytotoxicity experiments showed the excellent biocompatibility and great therapeutic efficacy of the designed nanoplatform compared to those of the IR780 group, which had weak red fluorescence. The in vivo experiments also showed that the designed micro/nano platform can effectively eliminate HCT116 tumors by allowing the temperature of the tumor site to exceed 55 °C (thermal ablation) under light irradiation. The main mechanism of chemotherapy indicated that the presence of Fe2+/Fe3+ can disrupt the rod-shaped structure of the original material and increase the content of Ga3+. Overall, CP-Au-PEG-FA@BSA@IR780 is a promising cancer therapy strategy that combines CT, PTT, and PDT and provides new insights into the synthesis method of enhancing composite materials with photothermal properties.