Graphene oxide-wrapped PEGylated liquid crystalline nanoparticles for effective chemo-photothermal therapy of metastatic prostate cancer cells

•A graphene oxide-wrapped docetaxel-loaded PEGylated system was established.•This system showed a small particle size and high drug loading capacity.•Controlled drug release and efficient NIR-dependent heat production were achieved.•The nanoparticles accumulated in metastatic prostate cancer cells.•This system provided an effective alternative therapy for metastatic cancers.

Here, we report the preparation of PEGylated liquid crystalline nanoparticles (LCN) loaded with docetaxel (DTX) and wrapped with graphene oxide (GO), called PEG-GO/LCN/DTX, for effective chemo-photothermal therapy of metastatic prostate cancer cells. The prepared formulation exhibited a small particle size (<250 nm), high drug loading capacity (∼15%), and efficient near infrared (NIR) light-induced thermal heat. Importantly, PEG-GO/LCN/DTX successfully accumulated in prostate cancer cells and exhibited potent apoptotic and antimigration effects, mediated by the combination of the anticancer effects of DTX and the thermal heat induced by exposure of GO to NIR light. Taken together, our findings support that PEG-GO/LCN/DTX may be an effective system for treatment of metastatic prostate cancer. Moreover, the results establish a proof-of-concept for the potential chemo-photothermal functionality of PEG-GO/LCN/DTX. This hybrid system of LCN and GO could provide controlled and targeted drug delivery with enhanced NIR-induced thermal effects for effective treatment of metastatic cancers.

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