Multiplex fluorescence imaging-guided programmed delivery of doxorubicin and curcumin from a nanoparticles/hydrogel system for synergistic chemotherapy

Synergistic chemotherapy of doxorubicin and curcumin (CUR) is an important strategy for cancer therapy to compensate for the single drug chemotherapy. Programmed and precise delivery of drugs plays a crucial role for optimizing the mode of administration and revealing the mechanism of synergistic chemotherapy. Herein, multiplex fluorescence imaging-guided programmed delivery of doxorubicin and CUR was achieved by a nanoparticles/hydrogel system for synergistic chemotherapy. CUR-loaded nanoparticles and doxorubicin were co-loaded into hydrogel to construct a synergistic chemotherapy drug delivery system. The hydrogel-nanoparticles combined system can effectively achieve the programmed delivery of hydrophilic drug and hydrophobic drug for the synergistic chemotherapy. They exerted the on-demand spatiotemporal delivery of doxorubicin and CUR. The combined chemotherapy system significantly inhibited the tumor growth compared to single therapy. Moreover, the programmed delivery of doxorubicin and CUR was visualized precisely based on their self-fluorescence instead of extra fluorescent tags at the cellular level and in vivo lever using multiplex fluorescence imaging technology. It afforded an imaging guidance for the controllable synergistic chemotherapy based on programmed delivery.