Molkenova Anara (Pusan National University), 김기수 (부산대)
초록
내용
Upconversion photodynamic therapy (UPDT) activates photosensitizers via UV/visible emission from upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) under NIR light, but efficacy is limited by low UCNP brightness at skin-safe powers. We propose Cryo-UPDT, which combines brief cryotherapy with NIR-triggered PDT to suppress thermal quenching and amplify UCNP emission. 808-nm–excitable UCNPs were synthesized using a rapid protocol and formulated as porous silica–coated UCNPs loaded with chlorin e6 and hyaluronic acid (UCNPs@SiO₂-Ce6-HA) for transdermal delivery. Cooling increased UCNP photoluminescence ~2.5× and enhanced Ce6 singlet-oxygen generation ex vivo ~3.15×. The platform was biocompatible, HA-targeted, NIR-responsive, and penetrated porcine skin. In melanoma-bearing mice, Cryo-UPDT achieved ~1.44× greater tumor eradication than PDT alone (808 nm, 1 W cm⁻²). These results support Cryotherapy as a practical route to boost UCNP-driven PDT.