Controlled synthesis of a core-shell nanohybrid for effective multimodal image-guided combined photothermal/photodynamic therapy of tumors

In this paper, a simple strategy is proposed to prepare a core-shell nanohybrid (PB@PCN) by the controllable coating of zirconium-porphyrin (PCN) shells on Prussian blue (PB) nanoparticles. By adjusting the thickness of the PCN shell, the PB@PCN nanohybrid with the best comprehensive performance was obtained for tumor treatment and imaging. The integrated nanosystem as a tandem catalyst is able to convert H2O2 to O2 through the PB core, and then the O2 is directly injected into the PCN framework, leading to a high quantum yield of singlet oxygen to kill tumor cells and attack heat shock proteins (HSPs). The nanohybrid was further camouflaged by a tumor cell membrane (PB@PCN@MEM) with good immune evasion and active targeting ability. Upon accumulation at the tumor site, PN@PCN@MEM showed an enhanced photodynamic therapeutic effect against hypoxic tumor cells. Furthermore, coupled with the photothermal therapy of PB, photothermal/photodynamic synergistic therapy of tumors can be realized. In addition, due to its excellent imaging performance, this core-shell nanohybrid can be employed for the multimodal image-guided therapy of tumors.