PEGylated mesoporous Bi 2 S 3 Nanostars loaded with Chlorin e6 and doxorubicin for fluorescence/CT imaging-guided multimodal therapy of Cancer.

Taking advantage of the mesoporous structure of bismuth sulfide nanostars (Bi2 S3 NSs), a chemotherapeutic drug of doxorubicin (DOX) and a photosensitizer of chlorin e6 (Ce6) were concurrently loaded in the PEGylated Bi2 S3 NSs to formulate a multifunctional nanocomplex (BPDC NSs) for tumor theranostics. BPDC NSs have excellent photothermal conversion efficiency and a capacity of yielding reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon laser irradiation, and can realize on-demand drug release by either pH-activation or thermal induction. Accumulation of the nanodrug could be monitored in real-time by infrared thermal imaging, fluorescence imaging and computed tomography (CT). More importantly, the combination effects of photothermal therapy (PTT), photodynamic therapy (PDT) and chemotherapy was demonstrated to dramatically suppress solid tumors without recurrence in vivo. Featured by the low systemic toxicity and high biocompatibility, this nanoplatform could be a promising derivative of Bi2 S3 NSs for imaging-guided theranostics of cancer.