The black phosphorus quantum dots-based photothermal effect on dendritic cells activation / 药学学报

Immunotherapy is the most active research area for cancer treatment. Tumor vaccine is one of the most developed aspects of cancer immunotherapy. Though tumor vaccine has made many breakthrough, it still faces many challenges. In this study, we coated the black phosphorus quantum dots (BPQDs) with cancer cell membrane to create a nanoparticle named BPQD-CCNVs. The BPQD-CCNVs were incubated with bone marrow-derived dendritic cells and irradiated with 808 nm infrared light. We tested the expression level of CD80, CD86 and MHC II of dendritic cells by flow cytometry after irradiation. All animal experiments approved by the Animal Experiments Ethical Committee of Tsinghua University. The results showed that the rise of medium's temperature caused by the photothermal effect of BPQDs could upregulate the expression of CD80, CD86 and MHC-II on dendritic cell surface. Based on these, we conclude that near infrared irradiation can stimulate the activation of dendritic cells. Our study may have provided a new strategy for tumor vaccine development.

In vitro study of black phosphorus quantum dot-loaded liposomes for photothermal therapy of cervical cancer / 药学学报

In this study, black phosphorus quantum dots (BPQDs)-loaded liposomes (liposome-BPQDs) were prepared to explore physicochemical properties and photothermal effects on cervical cancer cells. BPQDs were fabricated by ultrasonic method. Liposome-BPQDs were prepared by thin film dispersion. Surface morphology, particle size, zeta potential and Raman spectra of liposome-BPQDs were characterized. The cytotoxicity of the liposome-BPQDs against human cervical cancer cells (HeLa) was examined by CCK-8 assay. Confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) and fluorescence microscopy were used to observe the uptake and apoptosis of HeLa cells. The results indicated that liposome-BPQDs were ellipsoidal or spherical under scanning electron microscope, TEM observation showed liposome-BPQDs were about 90-110 nm in diameter. The particle size measurements showed liposome-BPQDs were (104.2±0.35) nm in diameter, and zeta potential were examined to be (-11.3±3.01) mV. The encapsulation efficiency was (84.40±2.13)%.Under natural conditions with outdoor ventilation, temperature range of 25 ℃-34 ℃ and relative humidity of 80%-82%, the photothermal effects of liposome-BPQDs was better and the degradation denaturation of liposome-BPQDs were slower than those of BPQDs. The results also reflected that liposome-BPQDs could be uptaken by HeLa cells easily. After near-infrared laser irradiation, the mortality of HeLa cells rise significantly when the amount of BPQDs reach 20 μg·mL-1. In summary, liposome-BPQDs with high stability exhibited good photothermal effects, which can be expected to be applied to photothermal therapy of cervical carcinoma.