초록 |
Conjugated polymers (CPs) have attracted a great deal of attention due to their light-harvesting ability and efficient energy transfer. Conjugated polyelectrolytes and hydrophobic conjugated polymer nanoparticles (CPNs) have been widely demonstrated in fluorescence imaging, biosensing, photoacoustic imaging,and phototherapy. Pristine CPs upon light excitation can directly sensitize oxygen molecules to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) for antimicrobial and anticancer applications. However, the amount of ROS generated by the CPs alone is insufficient to kill cancer cells. In this study, we successfully synthesized an anticancer agent that could control ROS generation according to cancer cell temperature by combining photothermal nanoparticles and CPNs. The agent enabled fluorescence imaging and showed that the spectral overlap between CPNs and photothermal nanoparticles resulted in heat generated from energy transfer, and more ROS generated in HeLa cells. |