Fig. 2
Characterization of TCuH NPs in aqueous solution and performance in the presence of NaHS. (A) Schematic diagram of TCuH and NaHS reacting to generate the photothermal agent Cu9S8 and release the hypoxia prodrug TPZ. (B) Photographs of TCuH NPs at various concentrations in the presence of NaHS. (C-F) TEM images of TCuH NPs reacted with various concentrations of NaHS (0, 0.5, 1, and 3 mmol). (G) NaHS consumption over time according to TCuH concentration in vitro. (H) TPZ release over time in the presence of pH 7.4, pH 5.5 and NaHS, respectively. (I) UV-Vis spectra of TCuH NPs after incubation with various concentrations of NaHS. (J) X-ray diffraction patterns of reaction products of TCuH NPs after treatment with NaHS (50 µg/mL) for 30 min