Calcium carbonate-methylene blue nanohybrids for photodynamic therapy and ultrasound imaging

Photodynamic therapy plays an important role in cancer treatment. In this work, methylene blue (MB)-embedded calcium carbonate nanorods (CaCO 3 -MB NRs) have been synthesized for pH-responsive photodynamic therapy and ultrasound imaging. The morphology of CaCO 3 -MB NRs can be controlled by modulating the concentration of Na 2 CO 3 aqueous solution. The generation of effective reactive oxygen species (ROS) were confirmed by 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran (DPBF) probe. Both photodynamic therapy performance and echogenic performance of CaCO 3 -MB NRs were investigated to confirm the feasibility of CaCO 3 -MB nanohybrids for ultrasound image-guided photodynamic therapy.