Near-Infrared Light-Triggered Polyprodrug/siRNA Loaded Upconversion Nanoparticles for Multi-Modality Imaging and Synergistic Cancer Therapy

Biomacromolecular hydrogel scaffolds from microfluidics for cancer therapy: A review

Traditional cancer treatment is confronted with the problem of limited therapeutic effect, tissue defects, and lack of drug screening. Hydrogel scaffolds from biological macromolecules based on microfluidic technology are a promising candidate, which can mimic tumor microenvironments to screen personalized drugs, promote the regeneration of healthy tissues, and deliver drugs for enhanced localized antitumor treatment. This review summarizes the latest research on the composition of biomacromolecular hydrogel scaffolds, the architecture of hydrogel scaffolds from microfluidic technology, and their application in cancer therapy, including anti-tumor drug screening, anti-tumor treatment, and anti-tumor treatment and tissue repair. In addition, the potential breakthroughs of this innovative platform in the clinical transformation of cancer therapy are further discussed. The insights revealed in this review are intended to guide the utilization of microfluidic technology-based biomacromolecular hydrogel scaffolds in cancer therapy.

Lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles as nanoprobes for bioimaging

Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are a class of nanomaterials composed of lanthanide ions with great potential for paraclinical applications, especially in laboratory and imaging sciences. UCNPs have tunable optical properties and the ability to convert long-wavelength (low energy) excitation light into short-wavelength (high energy) emission in the ultraviolet (UV)-visible and near-infrared (NIR) spectral regions. The core-shell structure of UCNPs can be customized through chemical synthesis to meet the needs of different applications. The surface of UCNPs can also be tailored by conjugating small molecules and/or targeting ligands to achieve high specificity and selectivity, which are indispensable elements in biomedical applications. Specifically, coatings can enhance the water dispersion, biocompatibility, and efficiency of UCNPs, thereby optimizing their functionality and boosting their performance. In this context, multimodal imaging can provide more accurate in vivo information when combined with nuclear imaging. This article intends to provide a comprehensive review of the core structure, structure optimization, surface modification, and various recent applications of UCNPs in biomolecular detection, cell imaging, tumor diagnosis, and deep tissue imaging. We also present and discuss some of their critical challenges, limitations, and potential future directions.

Near-Infrared Laser-Switching DNA Phase Separation Nanoinducer for Glioma Therapy

DNA phase separation participates in chromatin packing for the modulation of gene transcription, but the induction of DNA phase separation in living cells for disease treatment faces huge challenges. Herein, we construct a Ru(II)-polypyridyl-loaded upconversion nanoplatform (denoted as UCSNs-R) to achieve the manipulation of DNA phase separation and production of abundant singlet oxygen (1O2) for efficient treatment of gliomas. The utilization of the UCSN not only facilitates high loading of Ru(II)-polypyridyl complexes (RuC) but also promotes the conversion of near-infrared (NIR) laser to ultraviolet light for efficient 1O2 generation. The released RuC exhibit DNA "light-switch" behavior and high DNA binding affinity that induce phase separation of DNA in living cells, thus resulting in DNA damage and suppressing tumor-cell growth. In vivo investigation demonstrates the high capability of UCSNs-R in inhibiting tumor proliferation under NIR laser illumination. This work represents a paradigm for designing a DNA phase separation nanoinducer through integration of the UCSN with Ru(II)-polypyridyl-based complexes for efficient therapy of gliomas.

Mn(II) Optimized Sono/Chemodynamic Effect of Porphyrin-Metal-Organic Framework Nanosheets for MRI-Guided Colon Cancer Therapy and Metastasis Suppression

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) offers a remarkable non-invasive ultrasound (US) treatment by activating sonosensitizer and generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) to inhibit tumor growth. The development of multifunctional, biocompatible, and highly effective sonosensitizers remains a current priority for SDT. Herein, the first report that Mn(II) ions chelated Gd-TCPP (GMT) nanosheets (NSs) are synthesized via a simple reflux method and encapsulated with pluronic F-127 to form novel sonosensitizers (GMTF). The GMTF NSs produce a high yield of ROS under US irradiation due to the decreased highest occupied molecular orbital-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital gap energy (2.7-1.28 eV). Moreover, Mn(II) ions endow GMTF with a fascinating Fenton-like activity to produce hydroxyl radicals in support of chemodynamic therapy (CDT). It is also effectively used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with high relaxation rate (r 1: 4.401 mM-1 s-1) to track the accumulation of NSs in tumors. In vivo results indicate that the SDT and CDT in combination with programmed cell death protein 1 antibody (anti-PD-1) show effective metastasis prevention effects, and 70% of the mice in the GMTF + US + anti-PD-1 group survived for 60 days. In conclusion, this study develops a sonosensitizer with promising potential for utilizing both MRI-guided SDT and CDT strategies.

A Biomimetic Upconversion Nanobait-Based Near Infrared Light Guided Photodynamic Therapy Alleviates Alzheimer's Disease by Inhibiting β-Amyloid Aggregation

Aberrant β-amyloid (Aβ) fibrillation is the key event in Alzheimer's disease (AD), the inhibition and degradation of which are recognized as a promising therapeutic strategy to alleviate the nerve damage of AD. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) holds great potential for modulation of Aβ self-assembly, which is nevertheless limited by the inefficient utilization of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Herein, an erythrocyte membrane (EM)-modified core-shell upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP/Cur@EM) is designed and fabricated as a biomimetic nanobait to improve the PDT efficiency in AD. The UCNP with the outlayer of mesoporous silica is synthesized to load a high amount of the photosensitizer (curcumin), the unique optical feature of which can trigger curcumin to generate ROS upon near-infrared light (NIR) irradiation. Integration of EM enables the biomimetic nanobait to attract Aβ peptides trapped in the phospholipid bilayer, restraining the growth of Aβ monomers to form aggregates and improving the utilization rate of ROS to degrade the preformed Aβ aggregates. In vivo studies demonstrate that UCNP/Cur@EM irradiated by NIR enables to decrease Aβ deposits, ameliorates memory deficits, and rescues cognitive functions in the APP/PS1 transgenic mouse model. A biocompatible and controllable way is provided here to inhibit the amyloid protein-associated pathological process of AD.

Nanomaterials for light-mediated therapeutics in deep tissue

Light-mediated therapeutics, including photodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy and light-triggered drug delivery, have been widely studied due to their high specificity and effective therapy. However, conventional light-mediated therapies usually depend on the activation of light-sensitive molecules with UV or visible light, which have poor penetration in biological tissues. Over the past decade, efforts have been made to engineer nanosystems that can generate luminescence through excitation with near-infrared (NIR) light, ultrasound or X-ray. Certain nanosystems can even carry out light-mediated therapy through chemiluminescence, eliminating the need for external activation. Compared to UV or visible light, these 4 excitation modes penetrate more deeply into biological tissues, triggering light-mediated therapy in deeper tissues. In this review, we systematically report the design and mechanisms of different luminescent nanosystems excited by the 4 excitation sources, methods to enhance the generated luminescence, and recent applications of such nanosystems in deep tissue light-mediated therapeutics.

Cryo-shocked cancer cell microgels for tumor postoperative combination immunotherapy and tissue regeneration

Prevention of recurrence/metastasis and tissue regeneration are critical for post-surgery treatment of malignant tumors. Here, to address these needs, a novel type of microgel co-loading cryo-shocked cancer cells, immunoadjuvant, and immune checkpoint inhibitor is presented by microfluidic electrospray technology and liquid nitrogen treatment. Owing to the encapsulation of cryo-shocked cancer cells and immunoadjuvant, the microgels can recruit dendritic cells and activate them in situ, and evoke a robust immune response. Moreover, with the combination of the immune checkpoint inhibitor, the antitumor immune response is further enhanced by inhibiting the interaction of PD1 and PDL1. With this, the excellent anti-recurrence and anti-metastasis efficacy of the microgels are demonstrated in an orthotopic breast cancer mouse model. Besides, because of the excellent biocompatibility and appropriate degradation performance, the microgels can provide support for normal cell adhesion and growth, which is beneficial to tissue reconstruction. These properties indicate the great value of the cryo-shocked cancer cell microgels for efficient tumor postoperative combination immunotherapy and tissue regeneration.

Recent Advances of Platinum-Based Anticancer Complexes in Combinational Multimodal Therapy

Platinum drugs with manifest therapeutic effects are widely used, but their systemic toxicity and the drug resistance acquired by cancer cells limit their clinical applications. Thus, the exploration on appropriate methods and strategies to overcome the limitations of traditional platinum drugs becomes extremely necessary. Combination therapy of platinum drugs can inhibit tumor growth and metastasis in an additive or synergistic manner, and can potentially reduce the systemic toxicity of platinum drugs and overcome platinum-resistance. This review summarizes the various modalities and current progress in platinum-based combination therapy. The synthetic strategies and therapeutic effects of some platinum-based anticancer complexes in the combination of platinum drugs with gene editing, ROS-based therapy, thermal therapy, immunotherapy, biological modelling, photoactivation, supramolecular self-assembly and imaging modality are briefly described. Their potential challenges and prospects are also discussed. It is hoped that this review will inspire researchers to have more ideas for the future development of highly effective platinum-based anti-cancer complexes.

Advances and Challenges of Stimuli-Responsive Nucleic Acids Delivery System in Gene Therapy

Gene therapy has emerged as a powerful tool to treat various diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases, ocular diseases and cancer diseases. In 2018, the FDA approved Patisiran (the siRNA therapeutic) for treating amyloidosis. Compared with traditional drugs, gene therapy can directly correct the disease-related genes at the genetic level, which guarantees a sustained effect. However, nucleic acids are unstable in circulation and have short half-lives. They cannot pass through biological membranes due to their high molecular weight and massive negative charges. To facilitate the delivery of nucleic acids, it is crucial to develop a suitable delivery strategy. The rapid development of delivery systems has brought light to the gene delivery field, which can overcome multiple extracellular and intracellular barriers that prevent the efficient delivery of nucleic acids. Moreover, the emergence of stimuli-responsive delivery systems has made it possible to control the release of nucleic acids in an intelligent manner and to precisely guide the therapeutic nucleic acids to the target site. Considering the unique properties of stimuli-responsive delivery systems, various stimuli-responsive nanocarriers have been developed. For example, taking advantage of the physiological variations of a tumor (pH, redox and enzymes), various biostimuli- or endogenous stimuli-responsive delivery systems have been fabricated to control the gene delivery processes in an intelligent manner. In addition, other external stimuli, such as light, magnetic fields and ultrasound, have also been employed to construct stimuli-responsive nanocarriers. Nevertheless, most stimuli-responsive delivery systems are in the preclinical stage, and some critical issues remain to be solved for advancing the clinical translation of these nanocarriers, such as the unsatisfactory transfection efficiency, safety issues, complexity of manufacturing and off-target effects. The purpose of this review is to elaborate the principles of stimuli-responsive nanocarriers and to emphasize the most influential advances of stimuli-responsive gene delivery systems. Current challenges of their clinical translation and corresponding solutions will also be highlighted, which will accelerate the translation of stimuli-responsive nanocarriers and advance the development of gene therapy.

Upconversion nanoparticles anchored MnO2 nanosheets for luminescence "turn on" detecting hydrogen peroxide

The sensitively and reliably detecting hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is of significant for biology and environment protection fields. Herein, we reported a high sensitive H₂O₂ nanoprobe based on upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) anchored MnO₂ nanosheets. In which, DNA modified NaYF₄@NaYF₄:Yb,Tm core-shell nanoparticles were anchored onto the MnO₂ nanosheets surface via π-π stacking. Owing to the luminescence resonance energy transfer, the blue luminescence of UCNPs was effectively quenched by MnO₂ nanosheets, then the luminescence could be restored by adding H₂O₂ for reducing MnO₂ to Mn²⁺, and achieving a H₂O₂ concentration-dependent luminescence change, the detection limit could reach to 0.23 nM (S/N = 3). The proposed method could detect H₂O₂ in serum, lake water and real samples. Thus, a desired upconversion luminescence sensing strategy for detection H₂O₂ in life and environmental analysis was successfully constructed. It may be provide a potential tool in disease diagnosis and environmental monitoring fields.

Platinum Drug-Incorporating Polymeric Nanosystems for Precise Cancer Therapy

Platinum (Pt) drugs are widely used in clinic for cancer therapy, but their therapeutic outcomes are significantly compromised by severe side effects and acquired drug resistance. With the emerging immunotherapy and imaging-guided cancer therapy, precise delivery and release of Pt drugs have drawn great attention these days. The targeting delivery of Pt drugs can greatly increase the accumulation at tumor sites, which ultimately enhances antitumor efficacy. Further, with the combination of Pt drugs and other theranostic agents into one nanosystem, it not only possesses excellent synergistic efficacy but also achieves real-time monitoring. In this review, after the introduction of Pt drugs and their characteristics, the recent progress of polymeric nanosystems for efficient delivery of Pt drugs is summarized with an emphasis on multi-modal synergistic therapy and imaging-guided Pt-based cancer treatment. In the end, the conclusions and future perspectives of Pt-encapsulated nanosystems are given.

Organic and inorganic nanomedicine for combination cancer therapies

In many cases, a single mode of cancer therapy shows limited efficacy in treating complex and heterogeneous tumors. To improve cancer treatment, combining chemo-, photodynamic-, photothermal-, radio-, and immunotherapy is clinically recognized. When different therapeutic treatments are combined, they often show synergetic effects that further improve therapeutic outcomes. In this review, we introduce nanoparticle (NP)-based combination cancer therapies that use organic and inorganic NPs. Liposomes, polymers, and exosomes can be prepared with amphiphilic properties, high physical stability, and low immune response to treat cancers in a multimodal way. Inorganic NPs, including upconversion, plasmonic, and mesoporous silica NPs, have emerged as a new technology for photodynamic-, photothermal-, and immunotherapy. These NPs can simultaneously carry multiple drug molecules and deliver them efficiently to tumor tissue, as demonstrated in many studies. In addition to reviewing recent advances in organic and inorganic NPs used in combination therapy for cancers, we also discuss their rational design and the outlook for future nanomedicine development.

Stimuli-Responsive Gene Delivery Nanocarriers for Cancer Therapy

Gene therapy provides a promising approach in treating cancers with high efficacy and selectivity and few adverse effects. Currently, the development of functional vectors with safety and effectiveness is the intense focus for improving the delivery of nucleic acid drugs for gene therapy. For this purpose, stimuli-responsive nanocarriers displayed strong potential in improving the overall efficiencies of gene therapy and reducing adverse effects via effective protection, prolonged blood circulation, specific tumor accumulation, and controlled release profile of nucleic acid drugs. Besides, synergistic therapy could be achieved when combined with other therapeutic regimens. This review summarizes recent advances in various stimuli-responsive nanocarriers for gene delivery. Particularly, the nanocarriers responding to endogenous stimuli including pH, reactive oxygen species, glutathione, and enzyme, etc., and exogenous stimuli including light, thermo, ultrasound, magnetic field, etc., are introduced. Finally, the future challenges and prospects of stimuli-responsive gene delivery nanocarriers toward potential clinical translation are well discussed. The major objective of this review is to present the biomedical potential of stimuli-responsive gene delivery nanocarriers for cancer therapy and provide guidance for developing novel nanoplatforms that are clinically applicable.

A multiphoton transition activated iron based metal organic framework for synergistic therapy of photodynamic therapy/chemodynamic therapy/chemotherapy for orthotopic gliomas

Although photodynamic therapy (PDT) has exhibited good potential in therapy of gliomas, the limited penetration depth of light and the obstacle of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) lead to unsatisfactory treatment effects. Herein, a multifunctional nanodrug (UMD) was constructed with up-conversion nanoparticles (NaGdF₄:Yb,Tm@NaYF₄:Yb,Nd@NaYF₄, UCNPs) as the core, the photosensitizer NH₂-MIL-53 (Fe) as the shell and a carrier for loading chemotherapy drug doxorubicin hydrochloride (Dox) for synergistic therapy of gliomas. Lactoferrin (LF) was finally modified on the surface of the UMD to endow it with the ability to traverse the BBB and target cells (UMDL). The UCNP core can convert 808 nm near-infrared (NIR) light to ultraviolet light (UV light) for exciting NH₂-MIL-53 (Fe), achieving NIR-mediated PDT. In addition, Fe³⁺ on the surface of the NH₂-MIL-53 (Fe) shell could be reduced to Fe²⁺ in a tumor microenvironment (TME), and then reacted with over-expressed H₂O₂ in the TME to generate hydroxyl radicals (˙OH) for chemodynamic therapy (CDT). The Dox drug could be released in response to acidic conditions in the TME, inhibiting the growth of gliomas with low side effects. The synergistic effect of PDT/CDT/chemotherapy leads to effective suppression of orthotopic gliomas.

Multifunctional nanoparticle for cancer therapy

Cancer is a complex disease associated with a combination of abnormal physiological process and exhibiting dysfunctions in multiple systems. To provide effective treatment and diagnosis for cancer, current treatment strategies simultaneously focus on various tumor targets. Based on the rapid development of nanotechnology, nanocarriers have been shown to exhibit excellent potential for cancer therapy. Compared with nanoparticles with single functions, multifunctional nanoparticles are believed to be more aggressive and potent in the context of tumor targeting. However, the development of multifunctional nanoparticles is not simply an upgraded version of the original function, but involves a sophisticated system with a proper backbone, optimized modification sites, simple preparation method, and efficient function integration. Despite this, many well-designed multifunctional nanoparticles with promising therapeutic potential have emerged recently. Here, to give a detailed understanding and analyzation of the currently developed multifunctional nanoparticles, their platform structures with organic or inorganic backbones were systemically generalized. We emphasized on the functionalization and modification strategies, which provide additional functions to the nanoparticle. We also discussed the application combination strategies that were involved in the development of nanoformulations with functional crosstalk. This review thus provides an overview of the construction strategies and application advances of multifunctional nanoparticles.

Polyethyleneimine-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Cancer Theranostics

With the development of nanotechnology, various types of polymer-based drug delivery systems have been designed for biomedical applications. Polymer-based drug delivery systems with desirable biocompatibility can be efficiently delivered to tumor sites with passive or targeted effects and combined with other therapeutic and imaging agents for cancer theranostics. As an effective vehicle for drug and gene delivery, polyethyleneimine (PEI) has been extensively studied due to its rich surface amines and excellent water solubility. In this work, we summarize the surface modifications of PEI to enhance biocompatibility and functionalization. Additionally, the synthesis of PEI-based nanoparticles is discussed. We further review the applications of PEI-based drug delivery systems in cancer treatment, cancer imaging, and cancer theranostics. Finally, we thoroughly consider the outlook and challenges relating to PEI-based drug delivery systems.

siRNA and targeted delivery systems in breast cancer therapy

Recently, nucleic acid drugs have been considered as promising candidates in treatment of various diseases, especially cancer. Because of developing resistance to conventional chemotherapy, use of genetic tools in cancer therapy appears inevitable. siRNA is a RNAi tool with capacity of suppressing target gene. Owing to overexpression of oncogenic factors in cancer, siRNA can be used for suppressing those pathways. This review emphasizes the function of siRNA in treatment of breast tumor. The anti-apoptotic-related genes including Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and survivin can be down-regulated by siRNA in triggering cell death in breast cancer. STAT3, STAT8, Notch1, E2F3 and NF-κB are among the factors with overexpression in breast cancer that their silencing by siRNA paves the way for impairing tumor proliferation and invasion. The oncogenic mechanisms in drug resistance development in breast tumor such as lncRNAs can be suppressed by siRNA. Furthermore, siRNA reducing P-gp activity can increase drug internalization in tumor cells. Because of siRNA degradation at bloodstream and low accumulation at tumor site, nanoplatforms have been employed for siRNA delivery to suppress breast tumor progression via improving siRNA efficacy in gene silencing. Development of biocompatible and efficient nanostructures for siRNA delivery can make milestone progress in alleviation of breast cancer patients.

Photopolymerized 3D Printing Scaffolds with Pt(IV) Prodrug Initiator for Postsurgical Tumor Treatment

Biomedical scaffolds have shown great success in postsurgical tumor treatment; their current efforts are focusing on eradicating residual tumor cells and circulating tumor cells and simultaneously repairing postoperative tissue defects. Herein, we report a novel photopolymerized 3D scaffold with Pt(IV) prodrug initiator to achieve the desired features for tumor comprehensive therapy. The Pt-GelMA scaffold was fabricated from the microfluidic 3D printing of methacrylate gelatin (GelMA) bioinks through a Pt(IV)-induced photocrosslinked process without any other additional photoinitiator and chemotherapeutic drug. Thus, the resultant scaffold displayed efficient cell killing ability against breast cancer cells in vitro and significantly inhibited the local tumor growth and distant metastases on an orthotopic postoperative breast cancer model in vivo. Besides, benefiting from their ordered porous structures and favorable biocompatibility, the scaffolds supported the cell attachment, spreading, and proliferation of normal cells in vitro; could facilitate the nutrient transportation; and induced new tissue ingrowth for repairing tissue defects caused by surgery. These properties indicate that such 3D printing scaffold is a promising candidate for efficient postoperative tumor treatment in the practical application.

Selective delivery of curcumin to breast cancer cells by self-targeting apoferritin nanocages with pH-responsive and low toxicity

Breast cancer is prevalent and diverse with significantly high incidence and mortality rates. Curcumin (Cur), a polyphenol component of turmeric, has been widely recognized as having strong anti-breast cancer activity. However, its anti-cancer efficiency is largely impaired by some of its concomitant negative properties, including its poor solubility, low cellular uptake, and severe reported side effects. Hence, the necessity arises to develop a novel low-toxic and high-efficiency targeting drug delivery system (DDS). In this study, we developed a pH-sensitive tumor self-targeting DDS (Cur@HFn) based on self-assembled HFn loaded with Cur, in which Cur was encapsulated into HFn cavity by using a disassembly/reassembly strategy, and the Cur@HFn was characterized by ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). A variety of breast cancer cell models were built to evaluate cytotoxicity, apoptosis, targeting properties, and uptake mechanism of the Cur@HFn. The pharmacodynamics was also evaluated in tumor (4T1) bearing mice after intravenous injection. In vitro release experiments showed that Cur@HFn is pH sensitive and shows sustained drug release under slightly acidic conditions. Compared with Cur, Cur@HFn has stronger cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, and targeting performance. Our study supported that Cur@HFn has a higher in vivo therapeutic effect and lower systemic toxicity. The safety evaluation results indicated that Cur@HFn has no hematotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and nephrotoxicity. The findings of the present study showed that the Cur@HFn has been successfully prepared and has potential application value in the treatment of breast cancer.

Construction of NaYF4 Library for Morphology-Controlled Multimodality Applications

Morphology and size of the nanoparticles are highly related to the properties; establishing a library to summarize the relationship between the morphology/size and property is very helpful for associated applications. However, the NaYF₄ library and thus the correlation between the morphology and property are still absent. Here NaYF₄ library is presented and their morphologies and structures are illustrated at atomic scale for the first time. How about the crystal formation affects the morphology is further used to guide the property. Through rational doping, upconversion luminescence, magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography are investigated with the nanoprisms, nanoflowers, and nanoplates as models to reveal the effect of the size and morphology. The difference of the properties provides strong evidence on the importance of the library. In particular, the "imperfect structure" of nanoflower is observed on atomic scale and enhances the MR response. The different upconversion intensity ratio for the emissions at 475 and 693 nm is observed from doped NaYF₄ with different morphology. Thus, controllable fabrication of NaYF₄ with desired morphology is indispensable to achieve the optimal properties as the guidance on how to choose matrix from the library to meet the specific applications.

Dual-sensitive dual-prodrug nanoparticles with light-controlled endo/lysosomal escape for synergistic photoactivated chemotherapy

The clinical application of conventional chemotherapeutic agents, represented by cisplatin, is limited by severe side effects. So, it is essential to explore more safer and controlled drug delivery systems for synergistic chemotherapy. In this work, we designed dual-sensitive dual-prodrug nanoparticles (DDNPs) for photoactivated platinum-based synergistic chemotherapy. With photosensitivity, DDNPs could be photoactivated from inert Pt(IV) to toxic Pt(II) under safe UVA light in a spatiotemporally controlled manner. Concurrently, mild could be generated from DDNPs to assist the endo/lysosomal escape of DDNPs for better photoactivated chemotherapy (PACT). Furthermore, with acid-sensitivity, demethylcantharidin (DMC), a protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) inhibitor, was released to block the DNA repair pathway and thereby could sensitize platinum-based chemotherapy in intracellular acidic microenvironments. Along with a precise ratio (Pt : DMC = 1 : 2), DDNPs had a powerful synergistic anti-cancer effect in vitro and in vivo. In the future, DDNPs have great potential as a safe and multifunctional drug delivery system for precise nanomedicine in clinical treatments.