NIR light-triggered expansive starch particles for use as artificial thrombi

Artificially inducing thrombi within the blood vessels around tumor tissue is considered as one of the new strategies for cancer treatment. Herein, a kind of near infrared (NIR) light-triggered expansive particle is designed and developed to act as an artificial thrombus, with the aim of blocking the stimulated blood vessel via remote control. Taking advantage of the thermal expansion of starch particles and the outstanding photothermal conversion ability of polypyrrole nanoparticles (PPy NPs), these starch particles loaded with PPy NPs can expand and thus block microchannels under illumination from NIR light within several minutes. Additionally, a fluorescent cargo encapsulated in the starch particles is released along with the particle expansion, showing the potential integration of embolism therapy and chemotherapy to impede cancer cell metastasis and proliferation more efficiently.