Folic acid-functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles integrating fluorouracil-derived carbon dots and porphyrin for targeted breast cancer chemo-photodynamic therapy

Key Points

• The research aims to develop a targeted therapy platform that combines chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy for breast cancer treatment.
• Utilized mesoporous silica nanoparticles functionalized with folic acid and carbon dots
• Integrated porphyrin to enhance photodynamic effects
• Assessed pH-sensitive drug release and phototoxicity in cancer cells
• Achieved a drug loading capacity of 333.3 mg g −1
• Demonstrated significant apoptosis in folate-receptor-positive breast cancer cells
• Showed enhanced phototoxic effects under controlled conditions