NIR/Tumor-microenvironment dual-activatable nanorods for concomitant photothermal/photodynamic therapy and hypoxia-amplified chemotherapy

To overcome challenges in cancer treatment, non-invasive photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) hold significant promise. In this study, we designed a type of amino-modified SiO 2 -coated bismuth sulfide nanorods serving (Bi 2 S 3 ) and used amide reaction to couple with 3-(4- carboxyphenoxy) phthalocyanine zinc (ZnPc-COOH) to form a porous nanorods material, resulting in a Bi 2 S 3 @SiO 2 -Pc/TPZ anti-cancer nanorod loaded with tirapazamine (TPZ), which synergistically combines PTT, PDT and chemotherapy. Notably, this multifunctional nano-platform exhibits excellent photothermal properties ([Formula: see text] = 31.1%) under 808 nm laser irradiation, facilitating the uptake of Bi 2 S 3 @SiO 2 -Pc/TPZ and promoting the generation of effective reactive oxygen species. Moreover, the synergistic interplay between PTT and PDT significantly enhanced the chemotherapeutic efficacy of hypoxia-activated TPZ. This approach confirmed the potent synergistic anticancer effects of combined PDT, PTT, and chemotherapy.