Alginate-Based Hydrogel Nanocomposites With CuS Nanoparticles Incorporation for NIR-II Photothermal Therapy of Melanoma and Wound Healing

Copper sulfide nanoparticles (CuS NPs) is a promising and efficient photothermal agent, which is widely utilized for cancer therapy. Thus, hyperstable CuS NPs with strong absorbance in second near infrared (NIR-II) biowindow were prepared by solvent thermal method, which demonstrated good stability and biocompatibility, with deeper tissue penetration of NIR-II light for photothermal therapy in comparison to that of first near infrared (NIR-I) biowindow. Subsequently, CuS@Hydrogel was constructed by incorporation of CuS NPs in Ca²⁺ ions crosslinked sodium alginate to form three-dimension hydrogel. CuS NPs are homogeneously dispersed in CuS@Hydrogel nanocomposite with the advantages of good photothermal properties and low toxicity. CuS@Hydrogel can effectively treat postoperative melanoma with wound healing ability through the function of photothermal effect. The photo-induced thermal effect can efficaciously contribute to the elimination of residual tumor tissue. Furthermore, the hydrogel composite can also accelerate to cure the wound of mice due to the surgical removal of tumor. This novel biofunctional hydrogel platform can provide a significant candidate for the inhibition of local tumor recurrence and skin regeneration after surgical treatment of melanoma.