Near-infrared-triggered chirality-dependent photodynamic therapy based on hybrid upconversion nanoparticle hydrogels

Recently, chiral inorganic nanomaterials have attracted considerable interest for their chiroptical property and chirality-dependent phototherapeutic performance. Herein, for the first time, we propose a near-infrared circularly polarized light (NIR-CPL) responsive supramolecular hydrogels with high ground state chirality (| g abs | up to 3.2 × 10 −2 ) and intense upconverted circularly polarized luminescence activity (| g lum | up to 2.6 × 10 −2 ) for tumor photodynamic therapy. After supramolecular co-assembly, methylene blue loaded lanthanide upconversion nanoparticles (UCMBs) are effectively attached to the helical nanofibers constructed by amino acid precursors, which can achieve NIR-CPL triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. The obtained hybrid hydrogels exhibit efficient NIR light conversion, improved photodynamic performance and efficient tumor inhibition. These findings provide a new perspective for exploring NIR-CPL responsive upconversion materials with outstanding chirality-dependent phototherapy characteristic and efficient therapeutic outcomes for further biomedical application.