Raspberry-like AgBiS2@PVP nanoparticles for enhanced sonodynamic and chemodynamic cancer therapy

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) is a non-invasive treatment, preferred by many researchers. Ultrasound is applied to tumor lesions, enriched with a sound sensitizer. The activation of the sound sensitizer produces reactive oxygen species (ROS), which kill the tumor cells. In this study, raspberry-like AgBiS2@PVP nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared, which were modified with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Finally, AgBiS2@PVP NPs with 261 nm diameter and a suitable band gap were successfully synthesized. These NPs could play a role in SDT by generating ROS when induced by ultrasonic stimulation. Moreover, the AgBiS2@PVP NPs could also catalyze H2O2 in the tumor microenvironment to produce ·OH, equipping the NPs with chemodynamic therapy (CDT) properties. In vivo and in vitro experiments suggested that, compared to the single treatments, the combination of SDT and CDT had a clearer inhibitory effect on tumor cells.