Calmodulin (CaM), as a
calcium binding protein involved in the signal pathways of many life activities such as cell proliferation and apoptosis, can be regulated with the near-infrared (NIR) light-based photothermal conversion. Here, we build a conjugated
polymer nanoparticle (CPNs-C) by assembling
polypyrrole dione and
dipalmitoyl phosphatidylethanolamine-
polyethylene glycol-
maleimide with a
calmodulin antibody modified on the surface, which is NIR light-responsive for photothermally inducing apoptosis of
cancer cells. Under near-infrared light irradiation,
protein kinase B (Akt) and
phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, which bind to CaM, reduce the degree of phosphorylation due to the photothermal effect of CPNs-C, thus inhibiting the recruitment of Akt on the cell membrane. Therefore, the phosphorylation of GSK-3β downstream of the signaling pathway is reduced, and the phosphorylation of FoxO3a is enhanced, which can promote apoptosis of
cancer cells. Compared with the photothermal effect of traditional CPNs, CPNs-C exhibits higher efficiency to regulate signaling pathways to promote
cancer cells toward apoptosis. This strategy of utilizing NIR light to regulate the
tumor apoptotic signaling pathway provides an effective way to enhance
cancer cell apoptosis with high efficiency.