Photo-triggered nucleus targeting for cancer drug delivery

Here, we report a strategy to deliver drug nanoparticles into cells with nucleus-targeting ability under a spatiotemporal control. The nanoparticles were constructed through self-assembly of photoresponsive prodrugs and free drugs. By incorporating a nucleus localization sequence in the system, drug nanoparticles could be delivered into nuclei upon visible light irradiation. The drug nanoparticles showed high drug loading capacity and specific nucleus-targeting ability, which efficiently killed cancer cells. This self-assembly strategy could be applied to other hydrophobic drugs and targeting ligands for photo-controlled organelle-targeted drug delivery. [graphic not available: see fulltext]