Fig. 9

a Synthesis of pB-DOX. b Schematic illustration of Lipo/pB-DOX/ICG combined photodynamic therapy with ROS-responsive chemotherapy to synergistically treat cancer cells (Panel A). The ICG-generated ROS would exert photodynamic therapy by inducing cell necrosis or apoptosis and selectively cleave the boronate moiety of pB-DOX under 808 nm laser irradiation, triggering DOX release for chemotherapy. ICG could generate localized hyperthermia by absorbing NIR for PTT. Lipo/pB-DOX/ICG offers FI and PAI approaches for visualizing its dynamic distribution within the whole body. With low endogenous ROS levels and without light irradiation, normal tissues could be free from damage (Panel A). a Thermal images of MDA-MB-231-tumor-bearing mice from different treating groups (PBS + laser, Lipo/ICG + laser, and Lipo/pB-DOX/ICG + laser) under 808 nm laser irradiation for different irradiation periods. b Temperature change curves at the tumor sites of different treatment groups during 808 nm laser irradiation. c Tumor volume curves of different groups after various treatments including PBS, PBS + laser, DOX・HCl, Lipo/pB-DOX, Lipo/ICG + laser, Lipo/pB-DOX/ICG, and Lipo/pB-DOX/ICG + laser. d Photographs of tumor tissues removed from groups treated with different formulations after 21 d. The red circles indicated disappeared tumors. e Tumor weights of each group at the end of experiment and IRT. f Body weight curves of MDA-MB-231 tumor-bearing mice for each group. g Representative histological images of tumor and heart samples from the treated mice (Panel B) [275]