In recent years, the role of optically sensitive nanomaterials has become powerful moieties in therapeutic techniques and has become particularly emphasized. Currently, by the extraordinary development of nanomaterials in different fields of medicine, they have found new applications. Phototherapy modalities, such as photothermal therapy (PTT) by toxic heat generation and photodynamic therapy (PDT) by reactive oxygen species, are known as promising phototherapeutic techniques, which can overcome the limitations of conventional protocols. Moreover, nanomaterial-based PDT and PTT match the simultaneous immune therapy and increase the immune system stimulation resulting from the denaturation of cancer cells. Nevertheless, nanomaterials should have sufficient biocompatibility and efficiency to meet PDT and PTT requirements as therapeutic agents. The present review focuses on the therapeutic potency of PDT, PTT, and also their combined modalities, which are known alternative protocols with minimal morbidity integrated into gold standard treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy at tumor treatment and cancer-related infectious diseases. In addition, for deeper understanding, photoablation effects with emphasis on the nature, morphology, and size of photosensitive nanomaterials in PDT and PTT were studied. Finally, transportation techniques and moieties needed as carriers of photosensitizers and photothermal therapy agents to hard-accessed regions, for example, cancerous regions, were investigated.

The aim of this study is to develop a nano graphene–polyglycerol–curcumin hybrid capable of simultaneous co-delivery of chemotherapeutic drug and cytotoxic heat to cancer cells by near infrared (NIR) laser irradiation. Based on a fluorescence quenching study, the nano graphene sheet was functionalized by a polyglycerol polymer via π–π interaction between the π conjugated system of graphene and the aromatic focal point of polyglycerol through static mechanism. The binding constant and standard Gibbs free energy change of the binding process, obtained from isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), were 1.8 × 10⁶ M⁻¹ and −35.7 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. This hybrid showed excellent heat generation efficiency (ΔT ≈ 60 °C in 5 min, 1 W cm⁻¹ NIR laser) and high loading capacity of curcumin (61%). The resulting drug delivery system displayed a good stability with low drug release in PBS. However, NIR laser irradiation could trigger release of curcumin from the surface of the functionalized graphene sheet in PBS (up to 5-fold greater release) due to the local generated heat. Also the laser induced intracellular release of curcumin was confirmed by flow cytometry analysis. So the combination of chemo/photothermal therapy using this advanced drug delivery system demonstrated a synergistic effect for killing of MCF-7 breast cancer cells by MTT and apoptosis assays.

A hyperbranched-linear-hyperbranched amphiphile (HLHA) consisting of polyglycerol, polycaprolactone and polycitric acid blocks was synthesized and characterized. The self-assembly of HLHA in aqueous solutions produced nearly monodispersed nanoparticles. The average size of the nanoparticles in aqueous solutions was 120 nm. Spectroscopy and microscopy analysis showed that the nanoparticles change their structure in response to changes in the polarity of the medium in the solution state, so that the hydrophobicity or hydrophilicity of the solvent dominates the structure and properties of the nanoparticles. This property was used to load hydrophobic anticancer drugs inside the nanoparticles and also to deliver them to cancer cells successfully. In addition to the mentioned properties, the efficient uptake and low toxicity enable the prepared nanoparticles to be potential new systems for future cancer therapy.