Hexanoyl Glycol Chitosan/Gold Nanoparticle-Based Thermosensitive Nanoagent for Synergistic Photothermal/Chemotherapy of Tumors

The combination of traditional chemotherapy (CT) with emerging photothermal therapy (PTT) can enhance therapeutic efficiency to tumors with minimimal side effects. Herein, a thermosensitive nanoagent (Au@HGC-DOX-ICG) was successfully fabricated based on the encapsulation of a CT drug (Doxorubicin, DOX) and a photothermal agent (Indocyanine green, ICG) into hexanoyl glycol chitosan (HGC)/gold composite nanoparticles (Au@HGC) for the PTT/CT synergistic therapy of tumors. Under 808 nm laser irradiation, ICG in Au@HGC-DOX-ICG converts light energy into local heat, inducing PTT treatment and the shrinkage of thermosensitive HGC layers coated on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to promote the release of loaded DOX, thus achieving excellent cytotoxicity against HeLa and SiHa cell lines, superior to the results of a single PTT or CT modalities. In vivo HeLa tumor-bearing mice models validated the excellent PTT/CT synergistic therapeutic efficiency of the nanoagent. The developed Au@HGC-DOX-ICG nanoagent exhibits promise for applications in PTT/CT synergistic tumor therapy, especially in deep tissue.