REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES (ROS) RESPONSIVE FLUORINATED OXALATE COMPOUNDS FOR THERANOSTIC APPLICATIONS

Abstract

The complex cancer-related redox biology paves the way for a combinational approach to synergize therapy and diagnostics. In this regard, reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction is closely linked to cancer proliferation. Such diseases’ inherent feature allows designing nanoparticles that are sensitive to ROS and undergo disassembly by releasing the drug payload to the target site. In this rationale, we present peroxyoxalate and fluorinated oxalate polymer (FOP) probe-based chemiluminescent (CL) nanoplatforms encapsulated in Pluronic F-127 and stabilized with poly(D, L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA). The FOP moiety incorporation facilitated the enhanced stability of the particles, their responsiveness to pathological levels of hydrogen peroxide, and the cancer-specific release of photosensitizers (PS) and CL substrates. The resulting theranostic nanoparticles demonstrated potential as an activable 19F MRI probe. This study aims to demonstrate the use of ROS-activated drug delivery on epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) overexpressing epidermoid carcinoma cells (A431), including corresponding experiments on the biosafety profile and the influence of EGF protein on the material's cancer cell killing efficiency. This work presents a facile and multifunctional nanoplatform design approach for enhancing the future potential of colloidal drug delivery systems.