Hollow ZrO2/PPy nanoplatform for improved drug delivery and real-time CT monitoring in synergistic photothermal-chemo cancer therapy

Abstract

With the aim of fabricating multifunctional nanoplatforms for cancer diagnosis and therapy, we design hollow ZrO₂ nanospheres as novel nanocarriers with enhanced CT imaging properties to integrate NIR light absorbing agents and anti-cancer drugs into one nanosystem. Polypyrrole (PPy) is encapsulated into the hollow ZrO₂ nanospheres to endow the nanosystem with strong photothermal transfer capability via an oxidative polymerization method. The anti-cancer drug, doxorubicin (DOX), was loaded into the hollow ZrO₂ nanospheres with a high loading content and Dox could be released from the carrier by NIR photothermal stimulus. The hollow ZrO₂ nanoplatform has been successfully demonstrated for synergistic photothermal-chemo therapy, both in vitro and in vivo. Due to the excellent X-ray attenuation ability of Zr, the biodistribution of this nanosystem was real-time monitored via CT imaging technology using mini swine as animal models. ICP-OES analysis of tissues obtained from the biopsy also confirms the biodistribution. The in vitro and in vivo toxicity evaluation shows that this nanosystem has good biocompatibility and has great prospects for imaging-guided photothermal-chemo cancer therapy.