Reasonably retard O₂ consumption through a photoactivity conversion nanocomposite for oxygenated photodynamic therapy.

Abstract

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) brings excellent treatment outcome while also causing poor tumor microenvironment and prognosis due to the uncontrolled oxygen consumption. To solve this issue, a novel PDT strategy, oxygenated PDT (maintain the tumor oxygenation before and after PDT) was carried out by a tumor and apoptosis responsive photoactivity conversion nanocomposite (MPPa-DP). Under physiological conditions, this nanocomposite has a low photoactivity. While at H₂O₂-rich tumor microenvironment, the nanocomposite could react with overexpressed H₂O₂ to produce O₂ and release high photoactivity chimeric peptide PPa-DP for oxygenated tumor and PDT. Importantly, when the PDT mediates cell apoptosis, the photoactivity of PPa-DP be effectively quenched and the O₂ consumption appeared retard, which avoided further consumption of residual O₂ on apoptotic cells. In vitro and vivo studies revealed that this nanocomposite could efficiently change photoactivity, reasonable control O₂ consumption and increase residual O₂ content of tumor after PDT.