Near-Infrared Light-Activatable Melanized Paclitaxel Nano–Self-Assemblies for Synergistic Anti-tumor Therapy

Building self-assembly nanostructures is an important way to overcome the limitations of paclitaxel in tumor therapy. However, this strategy is also faced with challenges, such as difficulties in efficient release and the potential for drug resistance. Herein, we developed a near-infrared light-activatable melanized paclitaxel self-assembly nanoparticles for synergistic anti-tumor therapy. In this strategy, paclitaxel dimer prodrugs were synthesized and paclitaxel nanoparticles were obtained through self-assembly. Finally, the paclitaxel dimer nanoparticles were capped with polydopamine (PDA, melanoidin) and human serum albumin (HSA). The disulfide bonds in paclitaxel dimeric prodrug specifically respond to high concentrations of glutathione (GSH) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in tumor cells. PDA enhances the biocompatibility of the drug molecules and imparts near-infrared photothermal conversion capability to the nano–self-assemblies. Both the in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that this paclitaxel nanoprodrug exhibited enhanced tumor therapeutic efficacy under near-infrared light irradiation.