Facile Fabrication of Near‐Infrared‐Responsive and Chitosan‐Functionalized Cu2Se Nanoparticles for Cancer Photothermal Therapy

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Abstract
Photothermal therapy has attracted much interest for use in cancer treatment in recent years. In this study, Cu2Se nanoparticles as a novel photothermal agent modified by chitosan (CS‐Cu2SeNPs) were successfully synthesized through a facile route at room temperature. The as‐synthesized CS‐Cu2SeNPs exhibited good water solubility and significant stability. CS‐Cu2SeNPs can efficiently convert near‐infrared (NIR) light into heat and exhibit excellent thermostability. In vitro experiments showed that CS‐Cu2SeNPs had selective cellular uptake between cancer and normal cells and expressed clear anticancer activity on A375 and HeLa human cancer cells. In addition, the anticancer activity was increased to about 400 % by combination with a laser at 808 nm, which acted through induction of apoptosis with the involvement of intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. CS‐Cu2SeNPs irradiated with a laser effectively triggered the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction that promoted cell apoptosis. Therefore, the developed CS‐Cu2SeNPs could be used as a novel phototherapeutic agent for the photothermal therapy of human cancers.
Funding Information
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (21075053)
  • National High-Level Personnel of Special Support
  • National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (SS2014AA020538)
  • Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars of Guangdong Province (S2013050014667)
  • Guangdong Special Support Program
  • Guangdong Frontier and Key Technological Innovation Special Funds (2014B050505012)

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