Fabrication of Small Multifunctional CuS Nanoclusters for Fluorescence Imaging and Chemo-Photothermal Therapy of Cancer

Abstract

A multifunctional nanodrug, PAMAM@CuS-HA-RB/DOX, was prepared for the real time tracking and chemo-photothermal therapy of tumor cells. The CuS nanoclusters with diameter less than 10[Formula: see text]nm could be easily ingested by tumor cells and showed good colloid stability and high photothermal conversion efficiency. The hyaluronic acid (HA) coating and rhodamine B (RB) labeling endowed the nanocomposite with low cytotoxity and real time fluorescence imaging ability. In the acidic tumor microenvironment, the doxorubicin linked via the pH-responsive hydrazone bonds was released and worked synergistically with CuS to kill the tumor cells, which showed a high chemo-photothermal therapy capacity. All these properties indicated the PAMAM@CuS-HA-RB/DOX have promising application for the therapy of cancers and tracking of nanodrugs.