Cell membrane-camouflaged nanoarchitectonics of photosensitizer nanoparticles for enhanced phototherapy in surgery

We use phototherapy rather than chemotherapy and radiotherapy for the first time before surgery to thoroughly remove the tumors with minimum wound area and few side effects. The phototoxicity under hypoxia conditions and targeting ability of photosensitizers were improved by camouflaging Chlorin e6 and chlorambucil assemblies with cancer cell membranes. This work provides a creative method for tumor clinical therapy. [Display omitted] Surgical risk and wound area can be reduced by diminishing tumor volume before surgery. The chemotherapy and radiotherapy currently used that can reduce the tumor volume generally cause severe systemic side effects. Phototherapy has recently emerged as an effective treatment modality for superficial cancers. However, phototherapy is limited by the low utilization of photosensitizer, the tumor hypoxia, and the low photothermal conversion efficiency. Herein, we report the cancer membrane biomimetic nanoparticles assembled by Chlorin e6 (Ce6) and chlorambucil (CRB). Ce6@CRB nanoparticles (CCNPs) show excellent photothermal conversion efficiency, which is 2 times higher than free Ce6. Meanwhile, CCNPs can produce singlet oxygen stably compared to free Ce6 thereby reducing the dependence on oxygen. Furthermore, the coating of 4 T1 cancer membrane on the surface of CCNPs endows them with the ability of homologous targeting, not only improving the utilization of Ce6, but also effectively activating the immune system in vivo when combined photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT). Intriguingly, surgical resection is performed after phototherapy in this treatment regimen, which can effectively reduce the wound area. Together, this work provided a feasible and creative method for tumor clinical therapy for its patient-centric and humanitarian focus.