Timely coordinated phototherapy mediated by mesoporous organosilica coated triangular gold nanoprisms

Abstract

A variety of nanocarriers have been designed to deliver photosensitizers (PSs) and promote the clinical applications of photodynamic therapy (PDT). However, most of them suffer from insufficient loading capability, premature leakage, and/or unstable therapeutic efficacy. Herein, we constructed a novel nanocomposite (TGP@MOS) with a benzene-bridged mesoporous organosilica shell and a triangular gold nanoprism core. The TGP@MOS could load model PS molecules, zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc), with high loading capacity (11.8 wt%) and minimal premature leakage (only 2.6% after incubation in PBS with 10% FBS for 60 h) via π–π stacking interactions and hydrophobic interactions. We demonstrated that the obtained TGP@MOS–ZnPc could realize timely coordinated photodynamic/photothermal therapy upon single irradiation, and thus stabilize and maximize the therapeutic efficacy of phototherapy both in vitro and in vivo. Other advantages of TGP@MOS-ZnPc include excellent water solubility, stability, hemocompatibility and biocompatibility.