Copper depletion combined with photothermal therapy suppresses breast cancer

Metal ions play an important role in cancer growth, so the chelating agents of metal ions are potential therapeutics for cancer treatment. In this paper, a dye molecule (PY-TBDP) with both copper chelation and photothermal conversion properties was designed and synthesized. Stable nanoparticles of PY-TBDP (PY-TBDP NPs) can be obtained in the presence of MPEG₂₀₀₀-DSPE. PY-TBDP NPs can rapidly bind to copper ions and show high photothermal conversion ability (η = 40%) upon irradiation. Compared with copper chelation or photothermal therapy alone, the combination of the two therapies exhibits enhanced antitumor effect. This work demonstrates the great potential of metal chelating agents in disease treatment.