Albumin-stabilized polydopamine nanoparticles for chemo-photothermal synergistic therapy of melanoma

Synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy is considered to be an effective approach for the treatment of melanoma. Polydopamine (PDA) is extensively used in photothermal therapy and drug delivery, but its instability limits its application in tumor therapy. Here, we found that bovine serum albumin (BSA) could be used to prepare stable and well-dispersible PDA nanoparticles (PDA-BSA). The PDA-BSA had a particle size of approximately 120 nm, while it could efficiently encapsulate and release doxorubicin (DOX) in sustained manner upon exposure to the near-infrared light and acidic conditions. The combined application of PDA-BSA/DOX and irradiation showed a strong anti-tumor effects both in vitro and in vivo. Our study suggests that albumin can effectively stabilize PDA for the preparation of drug-loaded nanoparticles with promising synergistic chemo-phototherapeutic effects.