Camptothecin-loaded and IR780-doped polydopamine nanomedicine used for multifunctional chemo-photothermal-photodynamic therapy for lung cancer

Lung cancer poses a major threat to human health. Camptothecin (CPT), a cytotoxic alkaloid derived from pyrroloquinoline, ranks alongside paclitaxel as the most widely studied natural broad-spectrum antitumour drug. However, poor water solubility and instability of the lactone ring hinder its clinical application. To improve the efficacy of CPT in lung cancer, we developed a polydopamine (PDA) nanoparticle formulation combined with photothermal therapy (PTT). Although PDA nanocrystals have good biocompatibility and excellent PTT conversion ability, their high-temperature PTT application tends to adversely affect normal tissues. By doping the surface of PDA nanoparticles with IR780, a near-infrared photosensitiser, a CPT-loaded PDA nanoparticle (CPT-PDA-IR780) was designed that was easy to modify and had strong adhesion. This formulation was used for lung cancer treatment. Due to the incorporation of a photosensitiser, CPT-PDA-IR780 nanomaterials showed better low temperature PTT properties and demonstrated significant anti-lung cancer effects both in vivo and in vitro. By combining chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy (PDT), this nanomedicine achieved better efficacy in low-temperature PTT for lung cancer. These findings provide a scientific basis for the development of CPT nanomaterials and for the treatment of lung cancer with low-temperature PTT through combination therapy.