Nanocomposite from Alpha-Tocopheryl Succinate and Chitosan-modified-graphene for Efficient Inhibition on Choroidal Melanoma via a Chemotherapy-assisted-photothermal Therapy

High mortality of choroidal melanoma (CM) is mainly attributed to the high likelihood of tumorous recurrence. The essential challenge lies in the presence of residual CM cells survived from the antitumor treatment. These residual tumorous cells are most likely to cause tumorous recurrence. This article reports the preparation of a multifunctional nanocomposite which can be used to treat CM efficiently via a chemotherapyassisted- photothermal therapy (CTH-PTT). The nanocomposite comprises of alpha-tocopheryl succinate (α-TOS) and carboxylic chitosan modified graphene (CG). α-TOS has been potentially seen as an efficient CTH antitumor drug while its deficiency such as easy being hydrolyzed by gastrointestinal esterase and poor hydrophilicity inevitable limits the clinic application of α-TOS. CG is introduced to overcome these shortcomings, offering additional advantages such as the PTT possibility for the antitumor application. The employment of CG-α-TOS on ocular CM cells caused more than 80% inhibition rates after irradiation under an 808 nm laser for 10 min. The outcomes of this work provide a facile and advantageous way to resolve the essential issue of the treatment of ocular tumors such as CM.