Injectable biocompatible nanocomposites of Prussian blue nanoparticles and bacterial cellulose as a safe and effective photothermal cancer therapy

Photothermal therapy (PTT) is a novel cancer treatment using a photoabsorber to cause hyperthermia to kill tumors by laser irradiation. Prussian blue nanoparticles (PB NPs) are considered as next-generation photothermal agents due to the facile synthesis and excellent absorption of near-infrared light. Although PB NPs demonstrate remarkable PTT capabilities, their clinical application is limited due to their systemic toxicity. Bacterial cellulose (BC) has been applied to various bio-applications based on its unique properties and biocompatibility. Herein, we design composites with PB NPs and BC as an injectable, highly biocompatible PTT agent (IBC-PB composites). Injectable bacterial cellulose (IBC) is produced through the trituration of BC, with PB NPs synthesized on the IBC surface to prepare IBC-PB composites. IBC-PB composites show in vitro and in vivo photothermal therapeutic effects similar to those of PB NPs but with significantly greater biocompatibility. Specifically, in vitro therapeutic index of IBC-PB composites is 26.5-fold higher than that of PB NPs. Furthermore, unlike PB NPs, IBC-PB composites exhibit no overt toxicity in mice as assessed by blood biochemical analysis and histological images. Hence, it is worth pursuing further research and development of IBC-PB composites as they hold promise as safe and efficacious PTT agents for clinical application. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT: [Image: see text] SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12951-023-02108-6.