Iridium nanoparticles with anti-inflammatory activity for improved tumor photothermal therapy

Abstract

Due to its high efficiency and minimally invasive nature, PTT has received widespread attention. However, traditional PTT leads to the generation of excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammatory responses, which exacerbates tumor metastasis and limits its therapeutic efficacy. In this study, we synthesized a polyethylene glycol modified iridium nanoparticle (IrNpP) with high photothermal conversion capacity and ROS scavenging activities. The IrNpP effectively inhibits the tumor cell growth and suppresses the tumor tissue growth. More importantly, the IrNpP extensively eliminates ROS, which significantly mitigates the inflammatory response and effectively inhibits tumor metastasis. Besides, the IrNpP exhibits negligible side effects, suggesting its high potential for biomedical applications. This strategy effectively achieves ablation of tumor cells while minimizing the side effects of photothermal therapy, overcoming the shortcomings of PTT in tumor treatment and providing a new avenue for its application.