NIR Light‐Activated and RGD‐Conjugated Ultrasmall Fe/PPy Nanopolymers for Enhanced Tumor Photothermal Ferrotherapy and MR Imaging

Abstract

AbstractIron‐based nanomaterials have shown great promise for tumor ferrotherapy in recent years. However, nanoparticle‐induced ferroptosis has low therapeutic efficacy owing to unsatisfactory Fenton reaction activity in a typical tumor microenvironment. In this study, NIR light‐activated Fe/PPy‐RGD nanopolymers were developed to combine photothermal therapy and ferrotherapy and achieve enhanced antitumor activity. Importantly, Fe/PPy‐RGD exhibited excellent therapeutic performance under NIR light activation both in vitro and in vivo. Under irradiation with NIR light, the heat generated by Fe/PPy‐RGD not only induced a therapeutic photothermal effect but also enhanced the release of iron ions and the Fenton reaction by inducing ferroptosis. Additionally, by virtue of RGD conjugation and its ultrasmall size, Fe/PPy‐RGD could effectively accumulate at tumor sites in living mice after systemic administration and could be monitored via MR imaging. Hence, this study provides a promising approach for integrating ferrotherapy with photothermal therapy to achieve enhanced tumor treatment.