Cellular RNA-Seq Profiling of Enhanced Anti-Tumor PDT Efficacy by Photosensitizer-Loaded Modified Polysaccharides

Here, an ROS-responsive delivery system incorporating the immunomodulatory agent Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) are developed. Hydrophobic rapamycin (RAPA) is linked to the APS backbone through a ROS-sensitive thioether TK bond, forming the amphiphilic APS-TK-RAPA (ATKR) conjugate. Subsequently, the photosensitizer 2-(1-hexyloxyethyl)-2-devinyl pyropheophorbide-a (HPPH) is integrated into the system to abtain HPPH@ATKR nanoparticles. Owing to the transcriptome sequencing on 4T1 cells exposed to different treatments, the mechanism underlying the enhanced PDT efficiency of HPPH@ATKR is analyzed by comparing gene expression among the Control, HPPH@ATKR, and HPPH@ATKR + Laser groups.