Peng Chen
Southeast University, China
Title: Functionalized carbon nanotubes for monitoring dual-drug release in tumor cells using SERS and fluorescence techniques
Biography
Biography: Peng Chen
Abstract
Currently, stimuli-responsive nanocarrier for dual-drug delivery is considered as a promising approach for highly effective therapy in cancer treatment. However, intracellular monitoring of the dual-drug release is still challenging. Here, we fabricate a pH and thermo dual-stimuli-responsive dual-drug nanocarrier based on gold-silver core-shell nanoparticles (Au@AgNPs) functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs). By using label-free surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and fluorescence techniques, we can monitor the dynamic process of drug release. In this nanocarrier a model drug indole is loaded inside the hollow tunnel of CNTs and released into cells by near-infrared (NIR) irradiation. Doxorubicin (DOX) is loaded on the surface of CNTs via π–π stacking and released by changing pH values. In the experiment, to investigate the intracellular traceable delivery performance of this nanocarrier, the dual-drug loaded nanocarrier was incubated with living HeLa cells. Experimental results indicated that the release of indole and DOX can be triggered by the photo-thermal effect and the acidic pH of lysosomes, respectively. Moreover, the combination of released indole and DOX exhibited significant cell-killing effects. The proposed functional CNTs act as an excellent near-infrared and pH-sensitive controllable delivery system for killing cells in application of cancer therapy.