A multifunctional nanoplatform for lysosome targeted delivery of nitric oxide and photothermal therapy under 808 nm near-infrared light

Nitric oxide (NO) plays important roles in various physiological and pathological processes. The development of multifunctional nanoplatforms that enable site-specific delivery of NO is expected to provide new insights toward the realization of NO-mediated therapy. We report herein a novel nanoplatform {Lyso-Ru-NO@ FA@CDs}, (1), where a lysosome-targeting NO donor, Lyso-Ru-NO, and a folic-acid (FA)-directing group were incorporated into carbon dots (CDs). Nanoplatform 1 exhibited immediate NO release and a rapid temperature increase when irradiated using an 808 nm laser. This nanoplatform was capable of targeting folate-receptor-positive cancer cell lines and specifically accumulated in the subcellular lysosomal organelle. The dual-targeted nanoplatform 1 exhibited high cytotoxicity toward cancer cells under irradiation with 808 nm light, demonstrating substantially enhanced efficacy compared with its nontargeted counterparts. NIR-light-controlled spatiotemporal delivery of NO to targeted sites accompanied by photothermal therapy offers new possibilities for NO-involved multimodal cancer treatment.