Targeted Chemo-Photothermal Therapy: A Nanomedicine Approximation to Selective Melanoma Treatment

Melanoma is one of the most severe public health issues worldwide, not only because of the high number of cases but also for its poor prognosis in late stages. Therefore, early diagnosis and efficient treatment are key toward a future solution. However, melanoma is highly resistant to cytotoxicity in its metastatic form. In this context, a therapeutic strategy based on a targeted chemo-photothermal nanotransporter for cytotoxic compounds is proposed. This approach comprises the use of core-multishell gold nanorods, coated with mesoporous silica and further covered with a thermosensitive polymer, which is vectorized for selective internalization in melanoma cells. The proposed nanoformulation is capable of releasing the transported cytotoxic compounds on demand, in response to near-IR irradiation, with high selectivity and efficacy against malignant cells, even at low concentrations, thereby providing a new tool against melanoma disease.