Issue 56, 2021

Recent advances in functionalized upconversion nanoparticles for light-activated tumor therapy

Abstract

Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are a class of optical nanocrystals doped with lanthanide ions that offer great promise for applications in controllable tumor therapy. In recent years, UCNPs have become an important tool for studying the treatment of various malignant and nonmalignant cutaneous diseases. UCNPs convert near-infrared (NIR) radiation into shorter-wavelength visible and ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which is much better than conventional UV activated tumor therapy as strong UV-light can be damaging to healthy surrounding tissue. Moreover, UV light generally does not penetrate deeply into the skin, an issue that UCNPs can now address. However, the current studies are still in the early stage of research, with a long way to go before clinical implementation. In this paper, we systematically analysed recent advances in light-activated tumor therapy using functionalized UCNPs. We summarized the purpose and mechanism of UCNP-based photodynamic therapy (PDT), gene therapy, immunotherapy, chemo-therapy and integrated therapy. We believe the creation of functional materials based on UCNPs will offer superior performance and enable innovative applications, increasing the scope and opportunities for cancer therapy in the future.

Graphical abstract: Recent advances in functionalized upconversion nanoparticles for light-activated tumor therapy

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
23 jul 2021
Accepted
28 okt 2021
First published
03 nov 2021
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

RSC Adv., 2021,11, 35472-35488

Recent advances in functionalized upconversion nanoparticles for light-activated tumor therapy

H. Chu, T. Cao, G. Dai, B. Liu, H. Duan, C. Kong, N. Tian, D. Hou and Z. Sun, RSC Adv., 2021, 11, 35472 DOI: 10.1039/D1RA05638G

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