Stimuli-responsive dual drugs-conjugated polydopamine nanoparticles for the combination photothermal-cocktail chemotherapy

The dual anticancer drugs-conjugated PDOXCBs nanoparticles were facilely prepared by aqueous precipitation copolymerization of two dopamine prodrugs, which integrated intrinsic photothermia of PDA with the polyprodrug-induced cocktail chemotherapy for potentialcombination cancer PTT−CCTapplication. [Display omitted] We developed one-pot aqueous copolymerization of two dopamine prodrugs to prepare dual drugs-conjugated polydopamine nanoparticles (PDOXCBs), which integrated near infrared (NIR)-mediated photothermal effect with cocktail chemotherapy into one copolymer nanoparticle. Upon a mild NIR irradiation (808 nm, 1 W/cm2, 10 min), PDOXCBs gradually heated aqueous solution over 12.8–13.9 °C, which accordingly enhanced in vitro dual doxorubicin (DOX) and chlorambucil (CB) drug-release with assistance of the other stimuli of pH 5.0 and 10 mmol/L d,l-dithiothreitol (DTT). The combination photothermal-cocktail chemotherapy (PTT−CCT) treatment based on PDOXCB27 plus NIR irradiation gave a highly lowered half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 2.23 μg/mL and a combination index of 0.36, displaying a superior synergistic effect between PTT and CCT in vitro.