Folic acid-functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles integrating fluorouracil-derived carbon dots and porphyrin for targeted breast cancer chemo-photodynamic therapy.

ABSTRACT: We developed herein a new nanoplatform, MSNCDs-FA@TMPyP, for combined chemotherapy and photodynamic cancer therapy. The platform is built on mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) with integrated 5-fluorouracil-derived carbon dots (FU CDs), serving as a dual-function system. Folic acid (FA) was added for targeted delivery to cancer cells, which often have high folate receptor concentrations. Finally, a tetrakis(N-methylpyridinium-4-yl) porphyrin (TMPyP) photosensitizer was loaded onto the platform to complete the chemo-photodynamic system. Comprehensive characterization (including TEM, EDX mapping, FTIR, XPS, and UV-vis spectroscopy) confirmed the structure. The synthesized MSNCDs were spherical (100-200 nm), with successful integration of FU CDs into the MSN particles, a finding str

SUBMITTER: Serag E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12893896 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature