earticle

영어

Nanocarriers have been used for delivery of anticancer drugs such as photosensitizers. For enhanced therapeutic activity, photosensitizer nanomedicines have been designed using lipid-based or graphene-based nanocarriers. First, a negatively charged photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6) was complexed to cationic 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-ethylphosphocholinebased liposomes, forming cationic nanolipoplexes. The loading efficiency of Ce6 to cationic nanolipoplexes was greater than 90%. The degree of enhancement of cellular uptake of Ce6 by treatment in cationic nanolipoplexes increased with the concentration of Ce6, showing more than order of magnitute higher uptake than free Ce6. Molecular imaging revealed the preferential distribution and retention of Ce6 in SCC7 tumor tissues after intravenous administration of Ce6 in cationic nanolipoplexes. Moreover, localized illumination of mice receiving Ce6 in cationic nanolipoplexes resulted in the formation of thick scabs over tumor regions, and complete ablation of tumors after scab detachment. In contrast, continuous growth of tumors was observed in the group treated with free Ce6. Secondly, Ce6 was complexed to carbon graphene-based nanoparticles for co-delivery with doxorubicin. The in vivo molecular imaging revealed the higher distribution of Ce6 by delivery using graphene-based nanoparticles. Moreover, the graphene nanoparticle-mediated co-delivery of Ce6 and doxorubicin increased the antitumor effects of photodynamic therapy. Taken together, our results suggest that the nanocomplexes of Ce6 improve the therapeutic effects of photodynamic anticancer therapy.