Alpha-Synuclein-Stabilized Nanocarriers for Intracellular Delivery of Drugs and Their Controlled Release with Light

α-synuclein-stabilized nanocarriers (α-Syn NCs) have been developed as a functional drug delivery platform exhibiting a facilitated intracellular delivery of drugs and their light-triggered induced release via heat generation, which could exert both chemical and physical therapeutic effects on cancer cells. To achieve this, a eutectic phase-changing material (PCM) composed of lauric and myristic acids was used as the core to encapsulate both chemical drug and near-infrared (NIR) absorbing dye by employing an oil-in-water emulsification procedure. α-Syn, an intrinsically disordered protein with self-assembly properties, served as a stabilizer at the oil-water interface by forming a structurally stable shell around the PCM core. The resulting α-Syn NCs exhibited physicochemical stability under various conditions including changes in pH, ionic strength, and mechanical stress. Notably, the α…