The heat shock response (HSR) induced by
photothermal therapy (PTT), which can cause
tumor cells to resist apoptosis, has increasingly attracted the attention of researchers. Synergistic treatment of
tumors using multiple means to improve therapeutic efficiency would be a promising strategy for effective
cancer treatment. In this study, a
cancer cell membrane-camouflaged nanocarrier was developed and loaded with
tellurium (Te) and
cantharidin (CTD) for efficient combinatorial
therapy. The designed nanoparticles (m-CTD@Te) used a 4T1 cell membrane coating as the shell with homologous targeting capability, CTD as an the HSR inhibitor and
antitumor drug, and Te as a PTT and
photodynamic therapy (
PDT)
photosensitizer. An in vivo study indicated that the
tumor inhibition rate of this combinatorial
therapy could reach approximately 82.3% in 4T1 mammary
tumor models. This study suggested that m-CTD@Te, as a versatile biomimetic nanoplatform, provides a new alternative for more precise and effective
tumor treatment. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: In this work, we constructed cell membrane-coated biomimetic nanoparticles (m-CTD@Te) to suppress
cancer effectively through synergistic treatment. The developed m-CTD@Te nanoparticles presented strong homologous targeting capabilities. The encapsulated Te triggered
PDT and PPT under the near-infrared
laser irradiation. Subsequently, the PTT triggered the release of CTD, which could suppress the HSR of
tumor and achieve
chemotherapy. In addition, due to the presence of outer cell membrane coating, these m-CTD@Te nanoparticles showed good biocompatibility to healthy cells.