Curcumin-Conjugated NaYF4:Yb3+, Er3+ Nanoparticles for Photodynamic Therapy Based on Near-Infrared Light

In this work, an anticancer drug delivery system based on curcumin-conjugated NaYF4:Yb3+, Er3+ nanoparticles was developed. The as-prepared nanoconstruct consisting of uniform hexagonal nanoparticles with an average diameter of about 200 nm was synthesized. A natural photosensitizer curcumin was loaded onto the nanoparticles through covalent interaction and physical adsorption. Drug loading efficiency was calculated and it turns out a high loading capacity of the as-prepared nanoparticles. Cytotoxity experiments of carboxylic acid-functionalized UCNPs and curcumin-UCNPs were performed via MTT assay. The drug delivery system demonstrates the ability to be uptaken by three different kinds of cell lines (Human hepatocellular carcinoma Bel-7402 cells, Human SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cells and Human breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cells) and to generate reactive oxygen species upon the excitation of near-infrared light, so as to kill tumor cells. To sum up, such a drug delivery system exhibits good potential in cancer therapy.