NIR-responsive carbon-based nanocarriers for switchable on/off drug release and synergistic cancer therapy.

ABSTRACT

Herein, we present a light-switchable drug delivery system based on chitosan-gated carbon-based nanocarriers (CGC NCs) that exhibit a loading capacity for doxorubicin as high as ∼89.65 wt% and controlled on/off release with/without NIR irradiation. In vitro and in vivo results show that the CGC NCs manifest high efficacy for cancer therapy through a synergistic effect of combined chemo-photothermal treatment.