Efficient Construction of a Polyaniline-coated DNA Nanoparticle for Photothermal Therapy

Photothermal therapy is a direct and non-invasive therapeutic strategy. Herein, we report a general strategy for the construction of polyaniline-coated DNA nanoparticles for efficient photothermal therapy. In our design, two G4/hemin-based DNAzymes are precisely organized in a DNA template to mimic the function of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) for the catalytic oxidation of aniline. After polymerization, the polyaniline-coated DNA nanoparticles (PANI/DNA NPs) can be efficiently obtained as the photothermal agent to elicit a pronounced photothermal effect. After cellular uptake, the noticeable photothermal effect from 808 nm laser irradiation can achieve an efficient proliferation inhibition of tumor cells. This rationally developed photothermal agent based on DNA template-assisted polymerization presents a new avenue for the development of photothermal therapy.