Self-amplified activatable nanophotosensitizers for HIF-1α inhibition-enhanced photodynamic therapy

Activatable photodynamic therapy (PDT) has shown great potential in cancer therapy owing to its high tumor specificity and minimized side effect. However, the relatively low level of biomarkers within tumor tissue rescricts the photosensitizer to get thoroughly activated. In this study, we design a self-amplified activatable nanophotosensitizer (CPPa NP) for enhanced PDT. CPPa NP is prepared by encapsulating a hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) inhibitor CI-994 with an amphiphilic hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) responsive copolymer PPa-CA-PEG. Upon the addition of H₂O₂, the thioketal linker within CPPa NP is cleaved, resulting in the simultaneous release of thiol-modified pyropheophorbide a (PPa-SH), cinnamic aldehyde (CA), and CI-994. PPa-SH can be encapsulated by albumin to turn on its photodynamic efficiency, while CI-994 may inhibit the expression of HIF-1α to improve the PDT efficacy. CA is able to deplete glutathione (GSH) and upregulate reactive oxygen species (ROS) within tumor cells, accelerating the dissociation of nanoparticles and disrupting the redox balance of tumor cells. In vitro and in vivo studies showed that CPPa NP can successfully elevate the ROS level within 4T1 cells and has a better anticancer efficacy than PPa NP without CI-994 under laser irradiation. This study thus provides an effective approach to develop self-amplified activatable nanoparticles for enhanced PDT.