Hwang Kyung Kim

Inspired by erythrocytes that contain oxygen-carrying hemoglobin (Hb) and that exhibit photo-driven activity, we introduce homogenous-sized erythrocyte-like Hb microgel (μGel) systems (5–6 μm) that can (i) emit heat, (ii) supply oxygen, and (iii) generate reactive oxygen species (ROS; ¹O₂) in response to near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation. Hb μGels consist of Hb, bovine serum albumin (BSA), chlorin e6 (Ce6) and erbium@lutetium upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs; ∼35 nm) that effectively convert 808 nm NIR light to 660 nm visible light. These Hb μGels are capable of releasing oxygen to help generate sufficient reactive oxygen species (¹O₂) from UCNPs/Ce6 under severely hypoxic condition upon NIR stimulation for efficient photodynamic activity. Moreover, the Hb μGels emit heat and increase surface temperature due to NIR light absorption by heme (iron protoporphyrin IX) and display photothermal activity. By changing the Hb/UCNP/Ce6 ratio and controlling the amount of NIR laser irradiation, it is possible to formulate bespoke Hb μGels with either photothermal or photodynamic activity or both in the context of combined therapeutic effect. These Hb μGels effectively suppress highly hypoxic 4T1 cell spheroid growth and xenograft mice tumors in vivo.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) combined with upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) are viewed together as an effective method of ablating tumors. After absorbing highly tissue-penetrating near-infrared (NIR) light, UCNPs emit a shorter wavelength light (~660 nm) suitable for PDT. In this study, we designed and prepared highly red fluorescence-emitting silica-coated core-shell upconverting nanoparticles modified with polyethylene glycol (PEG_5k)-folic acid and tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (TCPP) (UCNPs@SiO₂-NH₂@FA/PEG/TCPP) as an efficient photodynamic agent for killing tumor cells. The UCNPs consisted of two simple lanthanides, erbium and lutetium, as the core and shell, respectively. The unique core-shell combination enabled the UCNPs to emit red light without green light. TCPP, folic acid, and PEG were conjugated to the outer silica layer of UCNPs as a photosensitizing agent, a ligand for tumor attachment, and a dispersing stabilizer, respectively. The prepared UCNPs of ~50 nm diameter and −34.5 mV surface potential absorbed 808 nm light and emitted ~660 nm red light. Most notably, these UCNPs were physically well dispersed and stable in the aqueous phase due to PEG attachment and were able to generate singlet oxygen (¹O₂) with a high efficacy. The HeLa cells were treated with each UCNP sample (0, 1, 5, 10, 20, 30 μg/mL as a free TCPP). The results showed that the combination of UCNPs@SiO₂-NH₂@FA/PEG/TCPP and the 808 nm laser was significantly cytotoxic to HeLa cells, almost to the same degree as naïve TCPP plus the 660 nm laser based on MTT and Live/Dead assays. Furthermore, the UCNPs@SiO₂-NH₂@FA/PEG/TCPP was well internalized into HeLa cells and three-dimensional HeLa spheroids, presumably due to the surface folic acid and small size in conjunction with endocytosis and the nonspecific uptake. We believe that our UCNPs@SiO₂-NH₂@FA/PEG/TCPP will serve as a new platform for highly efficient and deep-penetrating photodynamic agents suitable for various tumor treatments.

Albumin nanoparticles have become an attractive cancer nanomedicine platform due to their pharmaceutical advantages. Recently, photothermal therapy has been extensively applied to cancer treatment due to heat-induced tumor ablation. Herein, we fabricated albumin nanoparticles (HSA-NPs) loaded with paclitaxel (PTX), indocyanine green (ICG; a hyperthermal agent) and hyaluronidase (HAase) that breaks down hyaluronan, a major component of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in tumors. Synthesis was based on a slightly modified nanoparticle albumin-bound (Nab™) technique. The prepared nanoparticles (PTX/ICG/HAase-HSA-NPs) had a spherical shape with an average size of ~ 110 nm and a zeta potential of ~ -30.4 mV. They displayed good colloidal stability and typical patterns of ICG, HSA and HAase in UV–VIS–NIR and circular dichroism spectroscopic analysis. PTX/ICG/HAase-HSA-NPs were found to have excellent hyperthermal effects in response to near-infrared laser irradiation (808 nm) (up to > 50 °C over 4 min). The hyperthermia conducted by PTX/ICG/HAase-HSA-NPs resulted in significant cytotoxicity to pancreatic AsPC-1 cells at both severe (> 50 °C) and mild (41–42 °C) hyperthermal states in conjunction with the inherent cytotoxic activity of paclitaxel. Furthermore, the confocal images of AsPC-1 cell spheroids proved PTX/ICG/HAase-HSA-NPs were able to permeate deeply into the three-dimensional tumor tissue mimicry structure. Most of all, PTX/ICG/HAase-HSA-NPs maintained all these physicochemical and anti-cancer properties irrespective of the amount of embedded HAase (1–5 mg). Our results demonstrated that PTX/ICG/HAase-HSA-NPs are a promising hyperthermal/chemotherapeutic anticancer agent.