Construction of CuS/HKUST-1@PDA drug carrier for enhanced chemo-photothermal synergistic therapy triggered by near-infrared light in tumor treatment

Chemo-photothermal synergistic therapy is an effective method for tumor treatment. Herein, the CuS/HKUST-1@PDA drug carrier was successfully prepared by a simple combination of in-situ partial vulcanization and in-situ polymerization technologies. The micro-structure, morphology, and functional groups of the prepared samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, BET, and FTIR technologies. The drug loading experiment verified that the CuS/HKUST-1@PDA possesses an excellent doxorubicin (DOX) drug loading capacity, whose drug loading capacity is as high as 88.7 %. The drug release indicated that CuS/HKUST-1@PDA drug carrier inherited pH-responsive drug release behavior, which it can release DOX in acidic conditions resembling the tumor microenvironment, while effectively containing the drug within the PDA coating under neutral conditions. The CuS/HKUST-1@PDA drug carrier demonstrated outstanding biocompatibility, sustaining cell viability above 80 % across a concentration range of 1.5–15 μg/mL. Moreover, the drug carrier realized chemo-Photothermal synergistic therapy triggered by near-infrared light in tumor treatment, reducing tumor cell viability to 28 % during in vitro cellular experiments. The innovative design and effective tumor treatment ability of the CuS/HKUST-1@PDA drug carrier highlight its significant potential in anticancer therapy.