Quatsomes loaded with squaraine dye as an effective photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy

Photodynamic therapy is a non-invasive therapeutic strategy that combines external light with a photosensitizer (PS) to destroy abnormal cells. Despite the great progress in the development of new photosensitizers with improved efficacy, the PS’s photosensitivity, high hydrophobicity, and tumor targ...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Bordignon, Nicolò, Köber, Mariana, Chinigò, Giorgia, Pontremoli, Carlotta, Sansone, Ettore, Vargas Nadal, Guillem, Morán Plata, María Jesús, Fiorio Pla, Alessandra, Barbero, Nadia, Morla Folch, Judit, Ventosa, Nora
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/307974
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/307974
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Nanovesicles
Quatsomes
Squaraine
Photodynamic therapy
Descripción
Sumario:Photodynamic therapy is a non-invasive therapeutic strategy that combines external light with a photosensitizer (PS) to destroy abnormal cells. Despite the great progress in the development of new photosensitizers with improved efficacy, the PS’s photosensitivity, high hydrophobicity, and tumor target avidity still represent the main challenges. Herein, newly synthesized brominated squaraine, exhibiting intense absorption in the red/near-infrared region, has been successfully incorporated into Quatsome (QS) nanovesicles at different loadings. The formulations under study have been characterized and interrogated in vitro for cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, and PDT efficiency in a breast cancer cell line. The nanoencapsulation of brominated squaraine into QS overcomes the non-water solubility limitation of the brominated squaraine without compromising its ability to generate ROS rapidly. In addition, PDT effectiveness is maximized due to the highly localized PS loadings in the QS. This strategy allows using a therapeutic squaraine concentration that is 100 times lower than the concentration of free squaraine usually employed in PDT. Taken together, our results reveal the benefits of the incorporation of brominated squaraine into QS to optimize their photoactive properties and support their applicability as photosensitizer agents for PDT.