Carbon-based photothermal agents

For single-laser-based combined phototherapy, Yudasaka did pioneering work which combines a zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) photosensitizer with bovine serum albumin (BSA)-coated CNT derivatives, carbon nanohorns. In this work, carbon nanohorns served as both photosensitizer carrier and photothermal agent. A single 670 nm laser was used to simultaneously activate ZnPc photosensitizer and carbon nanohorn for synergistic phototherapy. This combined phototherapy exhibited a superior anticancer effect both in vitro and in vivo compared with PDT or PTT alone. 

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