초록 |
Herein, melanin, a bio-derived material, was conjugated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) to increase its availability in biomedical applications and to prolong the circulation time in vivo. Melanin-PEG was self-assembled in aqueous solution with spherical shape of 109.3 nm size and showed no precipitation for 7 days. Due to the intrinsic properties of melanin, melanin-PEG nanoparticles showed good photothermal conversion efficiencies both in vitro and in vivo. Melanin-PEG nanoparticles were injected into the tail vein of a 4T1-bearing mouse and exposed to 808 nm NIR laser at a power density of 1.5 W/cm2. The temperature of tumor region increased 48℃ and the tumor growth was suppressed effectively. From the results melanin-PEG nanoparticles could be an useful photothermal cancer therapeutic agent. |