Engineering of surface-altered polydopamine nanocomposites for successive drug release and in vivo antitumor effects in cervical cancer therapy: Investigation of antiproliferative effects and apoptosis

Extreme side effects and drug resistance are common with single-drug chemotherapy, reducing its efficacy as a treatment. Photothermal therapy (PTT) is a promising technique for treating cancer since it is noninvasive, can be controlled from a distance, and is highly targeted. Nanomedicines having synergistic chemo-photothermal characteristics may be more effective at combating tumors. To deliver gemcitabine (GEM) for targeted cancer therapy, we fabricated polydopamine (PDA)-loaded with polyethylene glycol and folic acid (FA). The findings demonstrated this delivery vehicle's narrow size distribution and nanoscale particle size. During the stability test, no substantial drug leakage or particle aggregation occurred. This system's photothermal conversion performance in near-infrared laser (NIR) irradiation was remarkable because of the PDA layer. HeLa cells were severely reduced in their ability to recover, and apoptosis was triggered in cancer cells after FA modification increased intracellular absorption of nanoparticles. To prevent drug-related cardiotoxicity, the nanoparticle group decreased GEM levels in the heart compared to the free GEM group. HeLa cervical carcinoma was reduced in an in vivo investigation by injecting fabricated nanoformulations intravaginally into female mice. Histological data from the NPs-treated mouse model demonstrates tumour reduction by H&E. Rats with tumors would benefit significantly from the suggested nanoformulation loaded with GEM. Using chemo-photothermal treatment, it was demonstrated in vitro and in vivo that cervical cancers could be totally removed, and the lives of survivors may be significantly prolonged.