An Acceptor-Donor-Acceptor Structured Nano-Aggregate for NIR-Triggered Interventional Photoimmunotherapy of Cervical Cancer.

ABSTRACT

Compared with conventional therapies, photoimmunotherapy offers precise targeted cancer treatment with minimal damage to healthy tissues and reduced side effects, but its efficacy may be limited by shallow light penetration and the potential for tumor resistance. Here, an acceptor-donor-acceptor (A-D-A)-structured nanoaggregate is developed with dual phototherapy, including photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT), triggered by single near-infrared (NIR) light. Benefiting from strong intramolecular charge transfer (ICT), the A-D-A-structured nanoaggregates exhibit broad absorption extending to the NIR region and effectively suppressed fluorescence, which enables deep penetration and efficient photothermal conversion (η = 67.94%). A suitable HOMO-LUMO distribution facilitates sufficient intersystem crossing (ISC) to convert ground-state oxygen (3O2) to singlet oxygen (1O2) and superoxide anions (·O2 -), and catalyze hydroxyl radical (·OH) generation. The enhanced ICT and ISC effects endow the A-D-A structured nanoaggregates with efficient PTT and PDT for cervical cancer, inducing efficient immunogenic cell death. In combination with clinical aluminum adjuvant gel, a novel photoimmunotherapy strategy for cervical cancer is developed and demonstrated to significantly inhibit primary and metastatic tumors in orthotopic and intraperitoneal metastasis cervical cancer animal models. The noninvasive therapy strategy offers new insights for clinical early-stage and advanced cervical cancer treatment.