The combination of
phototherapy and
chemotherapy has become attractive and effective
cancer treatment. However, the accurate delivery of both chemo-
phototherapy drugs to the target site as well as the development of high-efficient
phototherapy and
chemotherapy drugs remain major challenges. In this study,
indocyanine green (ICG) and
paclitaxel (PTX)-loaded aptamer
ferritin (HAS1411-PTX-ICG) was developed as a biocompatible nanoplatform for combined chemo/photothermal/photodynamic (PTT/
PDT)
therapy that was safe and highly effective against
tumors. HAS1411 was prepared by coupling aptamer
AS1411 to the surface of human H chain
ferritin (HFtn) by the
carbon diimide method to further enhance the targeting of HFtn. Both ICG and PTX were effectively encapsulated in the HAS1411 by incubation at 60 ℃. Moreover, under near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation, HAS1411 enhanced the photothermal effect and cell internalization of ICG, as well as the production of
reactive oxygen species in
cancer cells. HAS1411-PTX-ICG displayed effective cytotoxicity and a significant
tumor spheroids inhibitory effect owning to the improved internalization of PTX and ICG mediated by TfR1 and
nucleolin dual receptors. Co-loaded PTX combined with ICG can produce chemo/PTT/
PDT under near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation, enhancing the anti-
tumor effect. The dual-targeting HAS1411 nanocarrier developed in this study can be a promising delivery system for
cancer therapy and the fabricated HAS1411-PTX-ICG possesses potential application in chemo-
phototherapy.