Preparation of photo-controlled release ROS-responsive Ce6/elemene co-loaded liposomes and study on the effect on enhancing apoptosis of NMIBC

At present, chemotherapy combined with photodynamic therapy is exerting satisfactory therapeutic effects in the treatment of tumors. Chlorin e6 (Ce6) is a photosensitizer with high efficiency and low dark toxicity. At the same time, elemene (ELE) contains high-efficiency and low-toxicity anti-cancer active ingredients, which can effectively penetrate tumor tissue and inhibit its recovery and proliferation. Due to the poor water solubility of these two drugs, we prepared ELE/Ce6 co-loaded liposomes (Lipo-ELE/Ce6) to improve their water solubility, thereby enhancing the anti-tumor effect. The characterization of Lipo-ELE/Ce6 showed that Lipo-ELE/Ce6 had suitable encapsulation efficiency (EE), particle size, polydispersity (PDI), zeta potential, and good photo-controlled release properties. In vitro, Lipo-ELE/Ce6 effectively inhibited the growth of T24 cells and induced apoptosis, and more importantly, in vivo experiments showed that Lipo-ELE/Ce6 had significant anti-tumor effects, which was significantly better than free drugs. The above results suggest that Lipo-ELE/Ce6 can significantly enhance the induction of apoptosis of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) by light-controlled release and ROS response.