b2815 Tissue Engineering and Nanotheranostics “9.61x6.69”
252 Tissue Engineering and Nanotheranostics
of different agents or tools together to the target tissues is still chal
lenging. The rapid development of nanotechnology provides a new
impetus for cancer therapy due to its unique physical properties. For
example, mesoporous silicaencapsulated gold nanorods (GNRs@
mSiO 2 ) as a NIRlightabsorbing agent and a drug delivery system for
in vivo chemophotothermal destruction of tumor were developed.^329
In order to target the tumor and increase the therapeutic efficacy,
RGD peptides were conjugated on the terminal groups of PEG on
GNRs@mSiO 2. DOX was also successfully loaded into pGNRs@
mSiO 2 RGD nanomaterials. The results proved that the synergistic
effect of DOX–pGNRs@mSiO 2 –RGD for the efficacious treatment of
tumor were better than that of the chemotherapy or photothermal
therapy alone. The side effects of antitumor drugs and low treatment
efficacy are two major challenges of current chemotherapy. To address
these issues, a new kind of smart nanocarriers based on upconversion
nanoparticle (UCN)loaded folateconjugated polymeric lipid vesicles
(UFPLVs) that combine pHresponsive chemotherapy and NIR
lighttriggered photodynamic therapy were constructed. Merocyanine
540 (MC540), as a photosensitizer, was loaded in the UFPLVs; DOX
was conjugated to the surfaces of UFPLVs by pHsensitive hydrazone
bonds. In vitro and in vivo combination treatments evidenced the
high antitumor effects of MC540@DOXUFPLVs under NIRlight
irradiation.^330 Checkpoint inhibitors are among the most promising
immunotherapies for patients with advanced colon cancer, but their
durable response rate remains low. He et al. reported the use of
immunogenic nanoparticles to augment the antitumor efficacy of
PDL1 antibodymediated cancer immunotherapy. Nanoscale coordi
nation polymer core–shell nanoparticles carry oxaliplatin in the core
and the photosensitizer pyropheophorbidelipid conjugate in the shell
for effective chemotherapy and PDT.^331
Theranostics, the integration of therapeutics and diagnostics into a
system, is a recently proposed concept.42,47,332–334 It can provide real
time monitoring of the treatment process, and improve therapeutic
efficiency with better planning and prognosis. The treatment methods
include chemo/gene/PTT/PDT, and diagnostic technologies with
fluorescence/bioluminescence, MRI, PET, SPECT, photoacoustic,
