Astaxanthin conjugated polypyrrole nanoparticles as a multimodal agent for photo-based therapy and imaging.

Polymeric nanoparticles are emerging as promising candidates for photo-based therapy and imaging due to their versatile chemical properties and easy fabrication and functionalization. In the present study we synthesized polypyrrole nanoparticles by stabilization with astaxanthin conjugated bovine serum albumin polymer (PPy@BSA-Astx). The synthesized nanoparticles were biocompatible with MBA-MD-231 and HEK-293 cells. Interestingly, the fabricated nanoparticles produced reactive oxygen species under 808-nm laser exposure and exerted a hyperthermic effect when the power density of the laser was increased. The photodynamic efficiency of PPy@BSA-Astx was measured by DPBF assay, and it was found to generate sufficient amount of reactive radicals to kill the cells at a power density of 0.3W/cm