pH-Sensitive mesoporous silica nanoparticles for chemo-photodynamic combination therapy.

In order to optimize the chemotherapeutic efficacy of doxorubicin (DOX) and improve the photodynamic therapeutic effectiveness of rose bengal (RB), a mesoporous silica nanoparticle system was designed as the carrier of RB and DOX for chemo-photodynamic combination therapy. A pH-sensitive strategy has been exploited to enhance the delivery efficiency. Our results suggested that the production of singlet oxygen was independent of the release of RB while strongly influenced by the external DOX layer. This method showed several benefits, including accelerating cellular uptake of the payloads and enabling chemo-photodynamic combination therapy for synergistic cancer treatment. Our study provides a new way for co-delivery of chemotherapy agents and photosensitizers.