A Smart "Sense-and-Treat" Nanoplatform Based on Semiconducting Polymer Nanoparticles for Precise Photothermal-Photodynamic Combined Therapy.

Integrated theranostic nanoplatforms with biomarker recognition and photothermal- and photodynamic (PTT/PDT) therapy is in high demand but remains challenging. Herein, a "sense-and-treat" nanoplatform based on semiconducting polymer nanoparticles (SPNs) for ratiometric bioimaging of phospholipase D (PLD) activity and PTT/PDT combined therapy was proposed. Semiconducting polymer nanoparticles (PSBTBT NPs) serve not only as photothermal agents but also as fluorescent quenchers of Rhodamine B (Rhod B) through a PLD-cleavable linker.

The self-assembly of a hybrid photosensitizer for the synergistically enhanced photodynamic/photothermal therapy.

The simultaneous near-infrared (NIR)-absorbed photodynamic therapy (PDT)/photothermal therapy (PTT) has proved to be a promising approach to increase the antitumor efficiency due to their synergistic effect. Herein, a boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY)-based photosensitizer was designed and synthesized for the enhanced synergistic NIR-absorbed PDT/PTT therapy upon NIR light irradiation. In this strategy, a three-dimensional rigid polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) block was introduced into the Br-BODIPY molecule to alleviate the aggregation of the photosensitizer.