The study of the treatment of breast cancer by the combined photothermal therapy of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide doxorubicin gel

In order to further increase the effectiveness of doxorubicin (DOX) in the treatment of breast cancer, gels containing Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP), which can trigger anti-inflammatory and immune responses in vivo, and polypyrrole (PPY NPs), with good photothermal properties, were prepared using Poloxamer 407 (P407) and Poloxamer 188 (P188). In accordance with the results of an in vitro test for cytotoxicity, the killing rate of chemotherapeutic drugs combined with photothermotherapy on 4T1 cells was around 8 times higher than that of DOX alone at the same dose (80 % vs 10 %). The in vivo experimental results also show that the LBP + DOX + PPY NPs near -infrared treatment group has the best therapeutic effect, and the tumor inhibition rate can reach 75 %, indicating the superiority of the combination of drugs, which can achieve the effect of "1 + 1+1 > 3". Results from H&E staining showed that there was no evident damage in all organs of the combined group, indicating that the toxic and side effects of DOX were reduced. Elisa also confirmed this point of view. In this study, photothermal therapy and antineoplastic polysaccharide gel are combined for the first time to enhance the efficacy and reduce toxicity, which is expected to become a new research direction and hotspot.