Preparation and characterization of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide-based multifunctional tellurium nanorods to realize combination cancer therapy

Cancer remains a significant global health challenge. Given the limitations of conventional single-treatment modalities and the potential benefits of combination therapies, this study aimed to develop a multifunctional nanoplatform integrating immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and photothermal therapy for cancer treatment. Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides (GLPs) and luteolin (LU) were employed to regulate the one-dimensional growth of tellurium nanorods, forming distinctive nanorods (GLP-LU-TeNRs) with an aspect ratio of 5.8. GLP-LU-TeNRs demonstrated excellent photothermal performance with a photothermal conversion efficiency ( η ) of 30.9 %. Irradiation with 808 nm near-infrared (NIR) light, GLP-LU-TeNRs inhibited the proliferation of cancer cells, reducing it by up to 22.8 % in vitro (150 μg/mL), while in vivo , it suppressed tumor growth and metastasis by up to 36.1 % and 66.7 %, respectively, compared to the non-laser group (15 μg/mL). GLP-LU-TeNRs markedly induced apoptosis in tumor cells. In vivo experiments demonstrated that GLP-LU-TeNRs inhibited the proliferation and metastasis of cancer cells. GLP not only upregulated nitric oxide (NO) production but also promoted the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs), exhibiting the potential to initiate anti-tumor immune responses. The multifunctional tellurium nanorods developed in this study offer a promising approach to enhance the efficacy of cancer treatment, particularly in cases where single-agent therapy is suboptimal.