Photodegradation of metoprolol using a porphyrin as photosensitizer under homogeneous and heterogeneous conditions

Heterogeneous photosensitization for water reuse in cellars: evaluation of silica, spongin, and chitosan as carrier material

Photosensitization, a powerful oxidation reaction, offers significant potential for wastewater treatment in the context of industrial process water reuse. This environmentally friendly process can be crucial in reducing water consumption and industrial pollution. The ultimate goal is to complete process water reuse, creating a closed-loop system that preserves the inherent value of water resources. The photosensitized oxidation reaction hinges on three essential components: the photosensitizer, visible light, and oxygen. In this study, we assess the performance of three distinct materials-silica, chitosan, and spongin-as carrier materials for incorporating the phthalocyanine photosensitizer (ZnPcS4) in the heterogenous photosensitization process. Among the three materials under study, chitosan emerged as the standout performer in reactor hydrodynamic performance. In the photooxidation process, the photosensitizer ZnPcS4 exhibited notable efficacy, resulting in a significant reduction of approximately 20 to 30% in the remaining COD concentration of the cellar wastewater. Chitosan demonstrated exceptional hydrodynamic characteristics and displayed a favorable response to pH adjustments within the range of 8 to 10, outperforming the other two carrier materials. To further enhance the efficiency of continuous operation, exploring methods for mitigating photosensitizer bleaching within the reaction medium and investigating the impact of different pH values on the process optimization would be prudent.

Self-assembled micro and nano rod-shaped porphyrin@Bi12O17Cl2 composite as an efficient photocatalyst for degradation of organic contaminants

Bi12O17Cl2 is a potential photocatalyst in practical applications due to its excellent photostability, visible light activity, and competitive bandgap energy. However, the fast recombination of photogenerated charge carriers makes it impractical for pollution mitigation. Recently, aggregated porphyrins have emerged as photosensitizers in light-dependent applications such as photocatalysis. Although Bi12O17Cl2 and porphyrin can function as separate photocatalysts, their photocatalytic properties in terms of visible light adsorption, charge separation and transport, can be improved when they are combined to form heterostructure. In this study, rod-shaped aggregated 5,10,15, 20-Tetrakis (4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin was synthesized by CTAB-assisted, self-assembly strategy and Bi12O17Cl2 by a facile microwave method. The porphyrin and Bi12O17Cl2 were combined to generate a series of x%Porphyrin@Bi12O17Cl2 having 0.02% wt., 0.1% wt., 0.4% wt., 1% wt. and 10% wt. as compositions of porphyrin. The materials' photocatalytic degradation efficiency was tested on Rhodamine B dye as a representative pollutant. The best and worst performances were reported for 1%Porphyrin@Bi12O17Cl2 and 10%Porphyrin@Bi12O17Cl2, respectively, which are 3.1 and 0.5 times increases in efficiency compared to pure Bi12O17Cl2. From the radical trapping experiment, electrons and superoxide were the dominant reactive species in the degradation process. The enhanced photocatalytic capability of the materials was attributed to the photosensitizing property of porphyrin and the heterojunction formation, which promotes the separation of photogenerated charge carriers. A plausible step-scheme (S-scheme) was proposed for the photocatalytic degradation mechanism. The S-scheme provided the high redox potential of the photogenerated charge carriers. The findings herein offer a new option for improving the photocatalytic performance of Bi12O17Cl2 for environmental applications through the photosensitization strategy.

Degradation of metoprolol by UV/sulfite as an advanced oxidation or reduction process: The significant role of oxygen

The degradation of metoprolol (MTP) by the UV/sulfite with oxygen as an advanced reduction process (ARP) and that without oxygen as an advanced oxidation process (AOP) was comparatively studied herein. The degradation of MTP by both processes followed the first-order rate law with comparable reaction rate constants of 1.50×10^-3sec^-1 and 1.20×10^-3sec^-1, respectively. Scavenging experiments demonstrated that both e_aq^- and H• played a crucial role in MTP degradation by the UV/sulfite as an ARP, while SO₄^•- was the dominant oxidant in the UV/sulfite AOP. The degradation kinetics of MTP by the UV/sulfite as an ARP and AOP shared a similar pH dependence with a minimum rate obtained around pH 8. The results could be well explained by the pH impacts on the MTP speciation and sulfite species. Totally six transformation products (TPs) were identified from MTP degradation by the UV/sulfite ARP, and two additional ones were detected in the UV/sulfite AOP. The benzene ring and ether groups of MTP were proposed as the major reactive sites for both processes based on molecular orbital calculations by density functional theory (DFT). The similar degradation products of MTP by the UV/sulfite process as an ARP and AOP indicated that e_aq^-/H• and SO₄^•- might share similar reaction mechanisms, primarily including hydroxylation, dealkylation, and H abstraction. The toxicity of MTP solution treated by the UV/sulfite AOP was calculated to be higher than that in the ARP by the Ecological Structure Activity Relationships (ECOSAR) software, due to the accumulation of TPs with higher toxicity.

The role of anthocyanin and kaolinite in modifying cabbage leaves biochar for removal of potentially toxic elements and pharmaceutical from aqueous solution

We investigated the feasibility of two novel engineered biochar composites by pyrolyzing cabbage leaves at 350 °C after pre-treating them with anthocyanin, followed by a post-treatment with kaolinite for the removal of two potentially toxic elements (copper and lead) and a pharmaceutical compound, metoprolol. Results showed that the Kaolinite-biochar composite (KB) exhibited the highest adsorption capacity, 188.67 and 48.07 mg/g for Pb and Cu at pH 5, and the anthocyanin-biochar composite (AB) exhibited the highest adsorption capacity: 41.15 mg/g for metoprolol at pH 6, compared to raw biochar respectively. The enhancement of the adsorption of heavy metal and metoprolol by KB and AB was due to an increase in certain oxygen functional groups, as confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results. The pseudo-second order kinetic model, along with Langmuir isotherm model, best described the kinetic and the isotherms for Pb, Cu and metoprolol in KB and AB composites, respectively. FTIR, XPS, and zeta potential measurements indicated that the sorption mechanisms involved electrostatic interaction, ion exchange, and complexation for the metals, while electrostatic interaction, H-bonding, π-πinteraction, and hydrophobic bonding were postulated as the contributing mechanisms in the sorption process of metoprolol. Anthocyanin and kaolinite could potentially be considered as alternative sustainable materials for modifying raw biochar and remediating toxic elements and pharmaceuticals in aqueous media.

Novel and Facile Synthesis of Carbon Quantum Dots from Chicken Feathers and Their Application as a Photocatalyst to Degrade Methylene Blue Dye

Methylene blue (MB) is a most commonly used synthetic dye in the textile industry. It is an extremely carcinogenic phenothiazine derivative and therefore needs to be removed from the water bodies. In the present study, a single-step hydrothermal novel synthesis of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) extracted from biomass of chicken feathers has been performed, and the synthesized CQDs were applied to remove MB present in the aqueous samples. A number of techniques such as ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the samples for the conformity purposes. SEM and XRD analysis showed that CQDs are highly crystalline and have spherical structures with an average particle diameter of 35 nm. In the presence of 0.2 g of synthesized CQDs, MB dye degraded drastically under the sunlight. The rate of degradation was studied by determining the absorbance of the degraded sample with time relevant to untreated sample. The % degradation achieved during first 60 min of time was approximately 92% which increased minimally to a value of only 95% after 100 min of time. The ease of synthesis of carbon dots at low cost contributes hugely to their utilizations as an efficient photocatalyst for the degradation of aqueous pollutants. The opted approach to synthesize CQDs is cost-effective and eco-friendly and demonstrates excellent potential to remove MB from the aqueous samples.

Preparation of PMMA Electrospun Fibers Bearing Porphyrin Pendants and Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dyes

Porphyrins have a large π-π conjugation force between molecules, and they are easy to aggregate in solution, which affects the photoelectric properties of porphyrins. Connecting porphyrins to polymer links through covalent bonds not only retains the mechanical properties and thermal stability of polymer materials, but also has the photoelectric properties and catalytic properties of porphyrins, which improves the availability of materials. In this study, first, a porphyrin ligand with double bonds in the side chain was designed and the corresponding copper and zinc complexes were synthesized by adjusting the metal ions in the center of the pyrrole ring. Then, the metalloporphyrin complexes were copolymerized with methyl methacrylate (MMA), and two metalloporphyrin/PMMA copolymers were obtained: CPTPPCu/PMMA and CPTPPZn/PMMA. The structure of the compounds was characterized by IR, ¹H NMR, MS, and UV-Vis spectra. Metalloporphyrin/PMMA copolymers were prepared into electrospun fiber materials by electrospinning. The morphology of the composites was studied by SEM, and the thermal stability and optical properties of electrospun fibers were studied by TGA and FL. The catalytic activity of electrospun fiber materials for the degradation of organic dyes was studied. The results showed that the efficiency of the metalloporphyrin/PMMA copolymer in photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) was better than that of the PMMA electrospun fiber blended with metalloporphyrin.

Stabilization of flavin mononucleotide by capturing its "tail" with porous organic polymers for long-term photocatalytic degradation of micropollutants

Flavin mononucleotide (FMN) produces photo-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS), making it a bio-based and sustainable photosensitizer for micropollutant degradation. However, the rapid self-degradation of FMN under light poses challenges in practical applications. We propose for the first time to use porous organic polymer (POP) structures as particles and in situ grown on nanofibrous membranes to capture the ribityl side chain ("tail") of FMN by electrostatic-driven guest-host interaction. By restraining the free bending mode of FMN in POP, its self-degradation is highly inhibited, showing a prolonged half-life (102.7 and 79.7 times to that in solution and in β-cyclodextrin, respectively) without any impact on the ROS production even after 16 h of UVA irradiation. As a proof-of-concept, the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of FMN-POP complexes can be achieved at 58-93% against micropollutants under UVA. The stabilization of FMN by the "tail" capture in the POP allows its photocatalytic degradation function to be continuously online.

Electron Donor-Acceptor Interface of TPPS/PDI Boosting Charge Transfer for Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Charge separation efficiency of photocatalysts is still the key scientific issue for solar-to-chemical energy conversion. In this work, an electron donor-acceptor (D-A) interface with high charge separation between TPPS (tetra(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin) and PDI (perylene diimide) is successfully constructed for boosting photocatalytic H₂ evolution. The TPPS/PDI with D-A interface shows excellent photocatalytic H₂ evolution rate of 546.54 µmol h^-1 (30.36 mmol h^-1 g^-1 ), which is 9.95 and 9.41 times higher than that of pure TPPS and PDI, respectively. The TPPS/PDI has a markedly stronger internal electric field, which is respectively 3.76 and 3.01 times higher than that of pure PDI and TPPS. The D-A interface with giant internal electric field efficiently facilitates charge separation and urges TPPS/PDI to have a longer excited state lifetime than single component. The work provides entirely new ideas for designing materials with D-A interface to realize high photocatalytic activity.

Enhancement Strategy of Photoelectrocatalytic Activity of Cobalt-Copper Layer Double Hydroxide toward Methanol Oxidation: Cerium Doping and Modification with Porphyrin

Designing durable, high-active, and low-cost noble-metal-free photoelectrocatalysts for methanol electrooxidation is highly demanded but remains a challenge. Herein, the photoelectrocatalytic activity of cobalt-copper layer double hydroxide (CoCu-LDH) for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) in the alkaline media under light was remarkably enhanced by cerium (Ce) doping and further by 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-carboxylphenyl)porphyrin (TCPP) modification. TCPP/Ce-CoCu-LDH exhibits a remarkable mass activity of 1788.2 mA mg^-1 in 1 mol L^-1 KOH with 1 mol L^-1 methanol under light, which is 2.3 and 1.8 times higher than that of CoCu-LDH (782.2 mA mg^-1) and Ce-CoCu-LDH (987.4 mA mg^-1). The UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra and photoluminescence emission spectra reveal that TCPP/Ce-CoCu-LDH can effectively utilize the visible light and inhibit the electron-hole pairs' recombination because of the introduction of porphyrin. Furthermore, more active sites and the greater electrical conductivity of TCPP/Ce-CoCu-LDH also contributed to the high photoelectrocatalytic activity. Thus, TCPP/Ce-CoCu-LDH can be used as a low-cost alternative for Pt-based catalyst toward MOR.

Organic dyes supported on silicon-based materials: synthesis and applications as photocatalysts

The most important advance in photocatalysis in the last decade has been the synthesis and application of organic compounds to promote this process.

Oxidative Degradation of Pharmaceuticals: The Role of Tetrapyrrole-Based Catalysts

Nowadays, society’s widespread consumption of pharmaceutical drugs and the consequent accumulation of such compounds or their metabolites in effluents requires the development of efficient strategies and systems that lead to their effective degradation. This can be done through oxidative processes, in which tetrapyrrolic macrocycles (porphyrins, phthalocyanines) deserve special attention since they are among the most promising degradation catalysts. This paper presents a review of the literature over the past ten years on the major advances made in the development of oxidation processes of pharmaceuticals in aqueous solutions using tetrapyrrole-based catalysts. The review presents a brief discussion of the mechanisms involved in these oxidative processes and is organized by the degradation of families of pharmaceutical compounds, namely antibiotics, analgesics and neurological drugs, among others. For each family, a critical analysis and discussion of the fundamental roles of tetrapyrrolic macrocycles are presented, regarding both photochemical degradative processes and direct oxidative chemical degradation.

Ultraviolet photolysis of four typical cardiovascular drugs: mechanisms, influencing factors, degradation pathways, and toxicity trends

The cardiovascular drugs (CDDs), such as metoprolol (MET), atenolol (ATE), bezafibrate (BZB), and atorvastatin (ATO), have been frequently detected in the water environment. They can cause potential threats to the ecological environment and human health due to their "pseudo-persistence" effect. In this study, the photolysis kinetics, degradation mechanisms, by-products, influencing factors, and acute toxicity of these four typical CDDs under polychromatic ultraviolet irradiation (200-400 nm) were investigated. The results showed that the photolysis of ATE, BZB, MET, and ATO all followed pseudo-first-order kinetics, and their average photon quantum yields of the wavelength studied were 0.14×10^-2, 0.33×10^-3, 0.78×10^-4, and 0.24×10^-4 mol einstein^-1, respectively. Singlet oxygen (¹O₂), hydroxyl radical (·OH), and the triplet-excited state of the cardiovascular drug (³CDD*) were all involved in the photolysis while ¹O₂ was the dominator. The effects of NO₃^-, Cl^-, HCO₃^-, and humic acid (HA) on the photolysis were the combination of light-shielding, quenching, and excitation of reactive species. Seven, four, four, and nine photolysis products of ATO, BZB, ATE, and MET were identified, respectively, and their possible degradation pathways were proposed. The acute toxicity of ATE was basically unchanged during photolysis; however, ATO, BZB, and MET toxicity all increased due to the generation of ketonization and hydroxylation products.

Unraveling the Photodynamic Activity of Cationic Benzoporphyrin-Based Photosensitizers against Bladder Cancer Cells

In this study, we report the preparation of new mono-charged benzoporphyrin complexes by reaction of the appropriate neutral benzoporphyrin with (2,2'-bipyridine)dichloroplatinum(II) and of the analogs' derivatives synthesized through alkylation of the neutral scaffold with iodomethane. All derivatives were incorporated into polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) micelles. The ability of the resultant formulations to generate reactive oxygen species was evaluated, mainly the singlet oxygen formation. Then, the capability of the PVP formulations to act as photosensitizers against bladder cancer cells was assessed. Some of the studied formulations were the most active photosensitizers causing a decrease in HT-1376 cells' viability. This creates an avenue to further studies related to bladder cancer cells.

Metoprolol and Its Degradation and Transformation Products Using AOPs-Assessment of Aquatic Ecotoxicity Using QSAR

Pharmaceuticals are found in waterbodies worldwide. Conventional sewage treatment plants are often not able to eliminate these micropollutants. Hence, Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) have been heavily investigated. Here, metoprolol is exposed to UV irradiation, hydrogen peroxide, and ozonation. Degradation was analyzed using chemical kinetics both for initial and secondary products. Photo-induced irradiation enhanced by hydrogen peroxide addition accelerated degradation more than ozonation, leading to complete elimination. Degradation and transformation products were identified by high-performance liquid-chromatography coupled to high-resolution higher-order mass spectrometry. The proposed structures allowed to apply Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) analysis to predict ecotoxicity. Degradation products were generally associated with a lower ecotoxicological hazard to the aquatic environment according to OECD QSAR toolbox and VEGA. Comparison of potential structural isomers suggested forecasts may become more reliable with larger databases in the future.

Porphyrin-based MOFs as heterogeneous photocatalysts for the eradication of organic pollutants and toxins

Water and air pollution are among the major environmental challenges of this era. Waste management, economic sustainable development and renewable energy are unavoidable concomitant considerations. Over the past five years, nanosized metal-organic frameworks (nano-MOFs) have been developed for the elimination of pollutants in wet media and air-born toxins using the highly efficient reactive oxygen species (ROS) of type I (H2O2, •OH, O[Formula: see text] and of type II (1O[Formula: see text]. The ROS are catalytically and efficiently generated through photosensitization, and porphyrins and metalloporphyrins are pigments of choice for this purpose. This short review summarizes the fundamentals of ROS generation by porphyrin-based nano-MOFs (mainly through the formation of ROS type II) and their composites (leading to ROS type I), which includes energy and electron transfer processes, and their applications in these environmental issues.

The facile preparation of porphyrin based hierarchical micro/nano assemblies and their visible light photocatalytic activity

Porphyrin nanostructures are widely used in the field of visible light catalysis due to their superior light absorption properties and good controllability in size, shape and function. In this paper, the development of various morphologies in three types of porphyrins with three different phenyl substituents (designated as H2TTP, H2TPP and H2TCPP, respectively) is demonstrated. The formation mechanism proposed was based on the evolution of morphology as functions of molecular structure and solvent mixture. These nano/micro assemblies are well characterized by SEM, IR, UV-vis, X-ray diffraction and photoelectric conversion. The photocatalytic oxidation reactions under visible light irradiation of 1,5-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) in water is utilized to evaluate the photoactivity of the as-prepared porphyrin assemblies. The photocatalytic results indicate that the obtained porphyrin assemblies exhibit enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity. In addition, the photocatalyst is easy to separate and recover, and has good stability. The possible photocatalytic degradation mechanism of DHN by the porphyrins nanopolyhedron photocatalyst was also proposed.

Effective photocatalytic removal of selected pharmaceuticals and personal care products by elsmoreite/tungsten oxide@ZnS photocatalyst

In this study, elsmoreite/tungsten oxide is used to form a heterojunction with ZnS-containing industrial waste. The effect of the elsmoreite/tungsten oxide content on photocatalytic activity of ZnS using the different ratios of ZnS:Na₂WO₄ in the synthesis solution is estimated. The initial ZnS:Na₂WO₄ ratio leads to the formation of hexagonal WO₃∙0.33H₂O on the surface of ZnS. A further increase in the ZnS:Na₂WO₄ ratio results in the domination of cubic WO₃∙0.5H₂O over hexagonal WO₃. The ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) diffuse reflectance spectra of elsmoreite/tungsten oxide@ZnS composite photocatalysts show that the absorption onset shifts monotonously towards lower wavelengths from 450 nm to 400 nm. The microrods of hexagonal WO₃ and {111}-truncated submicron-sized crystals of WO₃∙0.5H₂O are grown on the ZnS surface. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results confirm the formation of a heterojunction between elsmoreite/tungsten oxide and ZnS. The photocatalytic activities of elsmoreite/tungsten oxide@ZnS composite photocatalysts are evaluated for the degradation of selected pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs): metoprolol - Mt, triclosan - TCS, and caffeine - CAF both in single and in mixture solutions. The elsmoreite/tungsten oxide@ZnS photocatalysts degrade 50% of Mt, 70% TCS, and 60% CAF in single solution and 35% of Mt, 20% of CAF, and 20% of TCS in mixture solution. Hydrated Mt and TCS are preferably adsorbed on the surface of WO₃∙0.5H₂O (111), and CAF has better affinity to the surface of WO₃. The elsmoreite/tungsten oxide@ZnS photocatalysts show a good reusability. Hydroxyl radicals (^•OH) and photogenerated holes (h⁺) are involved in the photocatalytic removal of Mt, while only h⁺ is involved in the photocatalytic removal of TCS. Interestingly, none of the above-mentioned species is involved in the photocatalytic removal of CAF. Also, nontoxic CAF is mainly degraded into intermediates with higher toxicity. The toxicity of the photocatalytically treated model wastewater in the mixture solution, tested with Vibrio fischeri, is much lower than that in the single solution.

Photodegradation of metoprolol in the presence of aquatic fulvic acids. Kinetic studies, degradation pathways and role of singlet oxygen, OH radicals and fulvic acids triplet states

Metoprolol is a pharmaceutical used for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and disorders, whose frequent detection in surface waters raises concern. Indirect photodegradation is an important degradation pathway in waters and dissolved organic matter has a major role as photosensitizer. In this study, metoprolol photodegradation, in the absence and in the presence of fulvic acids extracted from the Vouga River (Portugal) (VRFA), was assessed under simulated sunlight. While metoprolol direct photodegradation was deniable, indirect photolysis occurred under the presence of VRFA. It followed a pseudo-first order kinetics and after 72 h of irradiation there was a decrease of metoprolol concentration of ∼80 %. The OH radical (OH) was verified to be the main reactive species (RS) responsible for the photosensitized degradation of metoprolol, but other RS are also involved, probably triplet excited states of FA (³FA*) and singlet oxygen (¹O₂), as demonstrated by the higher inhibition of the photodegradation in presence of sodium azide than in presence of 2-propanol. Based on a previous identification of photoproducts, tentative degradation mechanisms were here proposed. Photoproducts analysis after 24 h irradiation in the absence and presence of scavengers, shown that different RS are involved in the formation of different products/intermediates.

Modeling of the irradiation effect on some physicochemical properties of metoprolol tartrate for safe medical uses

The effect of gamma-irradiation and ionizing radiation (high-energy electrons beam) on the physicochemical properties of metoprolol tartrate at the solid phase and aqueous solution, has been investigated in the present study to model some properties affected by absorbed doses and to reveal some interesting mutual causal correlation. The proposed some interesting models can be adapted to other experimental conditions, and the newly obtained values of the adjustable parameters could be an excellent criterion of the state quality of the metoprolol tartrate or for other additional interpretations. The peculiar behaviour of variation of physicochemical properties against dose leads us to confirm the suggested optimized doses mentioned in previous work, for sterilization and safe medical uses.

Photocatalytic asymmetric epoxidation of trans-stilbene with manganese–porphyrin/graphene-oxide nanocomposite and molecular oxygen: axial ligand effect

An efficient, visible light-driven manganese–porphyrin photocatalyst was developed for the asymmetric epoxidation of trans-stilbene by molecular oxygen under mild conditions.

Intracellular tracking of drug release from pH-sensitive polymeric nanoparticles via FRET for synergistic chemo-photodynamic therapy

BACKGROUND

Synergistic therapy of tumor is a promising way in curing cancer and in order to achieve effective tumor therapy with real-time drug release monitoring, dynamic cellular imaging and antitumor activity.

RESULTS

In this work, a polymeric nanoparticle with Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) effect and chemo-photodynamic properties was fabricated as the drug vehicle. An amphiphilic polymer of cyclo(RGDfCSH) (cRGD)-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-Poly(L-histidine) (PH)-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)-Protoporphyrin (Por)-acting as both a photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy (PDT) and absorption of acceptor in FRET was synthesized and self-assembled into polymeric nanoparticles with epirubicin (EPI)-acting as an antitumor drug for chemotherapy and fluorescence of donor in FRET. Spherical EPI-loaded nanoparticles with the average size of 150 ± 2.4 nm was procured with negatively charged surface, pH sensitivity and high drug loading content (14.9 ± 1.5%). The cellular uptake of EPI-loaded cRGD-PEG-PH-PCL-Por was monitored in real time by the FRET effect between EPI and cRGD-PEG-PH-PCL-Por. The polymeric nanoparticles combined PDT and chemotherapy showed significant anticancer activity both in vitro (IC50 = 0.47 μg/mL) and better therapeutic efficacy than that of free EPI in vivo.

CONCLUSIONS

This work provided a versatile strategy to fabricate nanoassemblies for intracellular tracking of drug release and synergistic chemo-photodynamic therapy.