Pillar[6]arene-Based Supramolecular Nanocatalysts for Synergistically Enhanced Chemodynamic Therapy by the Intracellular Cascade Reaction

A chemo/chemodynamic nanoparticle based on hyaluronic acid induces ferroptosis and apoptosis for triple-negative breast cancer therapy

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) poses a serious threat to women's life and health due to its high malignancy, strong invasiveness, and propensity for early recurrence and metastasis. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a highly effective and low-toxic TNBC treatment scheme to enhance the anti-cancer efficacy and prolong the survival of patients. In this work, we designed and synthesized a chemodynamic therapy (CDT) agent (HA-Fc-Mal). The chemo/chemodynamic (CT/CDT) nanoparticle (HCM@DOX) based on hyaluronic acid induces ferroptosis and apoptotic for TNBC therapy was constructed via self-assembled of HA-Fc-Mal and doxorubicin (DOX). HCM@DOX orderly realized the TNBC targeting, controlled DOX release, GSH depletion and induce ROS erupt. In vivo and in vitro experiments confirmed that HCM@DOX inhibited the growth of 4 T1 tumors through ferroptosis and apoptosis, and the tumor inhibition rate was as high as 81.87 %. In addition, HCM@DOX significantly inhibited lung metastasis and exhibited excellent biosafety. Overall, our findings offer a new strategy for TNBC therapy using a CT/CDT nanoparticle that induces ferroptosis and apoptosis.

Camptothecin-based prodrug nanomedicines for cancer therapy

Camptothecin (CPT) is a cytotoxic alkaloid that attenuates the replication of cancer cells via blocking DNA topoisomerase 1. Despite its encouraging and wide-spectrum antitumour activity, its application is significantly restricted owing to its instability, low solubility, significant toxicity, and acquired tumour cell resistance. This has resulted in the development of many CPT-based therapeutic agents, especially CPT-based nanomedicines, with improved pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles. Specifically, smart CPT-based prodrug nanomedicines with stimuli-responsive release capacity have been extensively explored owing to the advantages such as high drug loading, improved stability, and decreased potential toxicity caused by the carrier materials in comparison with normal nanodrugs and traditional delivery systems. In this review, the potential strategies and applications of CPT-based nanoprodrugs for enhanced CPT delivery toward cancer cells are summarized. We appraise in detail the chemical structures and release mechanisms of these nanoprodrugs and guide materials chemists to develop more powerful nanomedicines that have real clinical therapeutic capacities.

Advancements in the Application of the Fenton Reaction in the Cancer Microenvironment

Cancer is a complex and multifaceted disease that continues to be a global health challenge. It exerts a tremendous burden on individuals, families, healthcare systems, and society as a whole. To mitigate the impact of cancer, concerted efforts and collaboration on a global scale are essential. This includes strengthening preventive measures, promoting early detection, and advancing effective treatment strategies. In the field of cancer treatment, researchers and clinicians are constantly seeking new approaches and technologies to improve therapeutic outcomes and minimize adverse effects. One promising avenue of investigation is the utilization of the Fenton reaction, a chemical process that involves the generation of highly reactive hydroxyl radicals (·OH) through the interaction of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) with ferrous ions (Fe2+). The generated ·OH radicals possess strong oxidative properties, which can lead to the selective destruction of cancer cells. In recent years, researchers have successfully introduced the Fenton reaction into the cancer microenvironment through the application of nanotechnology, such as polymer nanoparticles and light-responsive nanoparticles. This article reviews the progress of the application of the Fenton reaction, catalyzed by polymer nanoparticles and light-responsive nanoparticles, in the cancer microenvironment, as well as the potential applications and future development directions of the Fenton reaction in the field of tumor treatment.

The Application of Biomedicine in Chemodynamic Therapy: From Material Design to Improved Strategies

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) has garnered significant interest as an innovative approach for cancer treatment, owing to its notable tumor specificity and selectivity, minimal systemic toxicity and side effects, and absence of the requirement for field stimulation during treatment. This treatment utilizes nanocatalytic medicines containing transitional metals to release metal ions within tumor cells, subsequently initiating Fenton and Fenton-like reactions. These reactions convert hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into hydroxyl radical (•OH) specifically within the acidic tumor microenvironment (TME), thereby inducing apoptosis in tumor cells. However, insufficient endogenous H2O2, the overexpressed reducing substances in the TME, and the weak acidity of solid tumors limit the performance of CDT and restrict its application in vivo. Therefore, a variety of nanozymes and strategies have been designed and developed in order to potentiate CDT against tumors, including the application of various nanozymes and different strategies to remodel TME for enhanced CDT (e.g., increasing the H2O2 level in situ, depleting reductive substances, and lowering the pH value). This review presents an overview of the design and development of various nanocatalysts and the corresponding strategies employed to enhance catalytic drug targeting in recent years. Additionally, it delves into the prospects and obstacles that lie ahead for the future advancement of CDT.

Ferrocene-Based Drugs, Delivery Nanomaterials and Fenton Mechanism: State of the Art, Recent Developments and Prospects

Ferrocene has been the most used organometallic moiety introduced in organic and bioinorganic drugs to cure cancers and various other diseases. Following several pioneering studies, two real breakthroughs occurred in 1996 and 1997. In 1996, Jaouen et al. reported ferrocifens, ferrocene analogs of tamoxifen, the chemotherapeutic for hormone-dependent breast cancer. Several ferrocifens are now in preclinical evaluation. Independently, in 1997, ferroquine, an analog of the antimalarial drug chloroquine upon the introduction of a ferrocenyl substituent in the carbon chain, was reported by the Biot-Brocard group and found to be active against both chloroquine-sensitive and chloroquine-resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum. Ferroquine, in combination with artefenomel, completed phase IIb clinical evaluation in 2019. More than 1000 studies have been published on ferrocenyl-containing pharmacophores against infectious diseases, including parasitic, bacterial, fungal, and viral infections, but the relationship between structure and biological activity has been scarcely demonstrated, unlike for ferrocifens and ferroquines. In a majority of ferrocene-containing drugs, however, the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), in particular the OH. radical, produced by Fenton catalysis, plays a key role and is scrutinized in this mini-review, together with the supramolecular approach utilizing drug delivery nanosystems, such as micelles, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), polymers, and dendrimers.

A versatile supramolecular nanoagent for three-pronged boosting chemodynamic therapy

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) utilizing toxic hydroxyl radicals (·OH) to kill cancer cells exhibits huge potentiality in antitumor treatment. However, inadequate acidity, insufficient hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) amount, and overexpressed reduced glutathione (GSH) inside cancer cells severely restrict the efficacy of CDT. Although numerous efforts have been made, fabricating a versatile CDT material for surmounting these obstacles simultaneously is still a great challenge, especially for supramolecular materials owing to lacking an active metal unit for the Fenton reaction. Here, we intriguingly proposed a powerful supramolecular nanoagent (GOx@GANPs) based on the host-guest interaction between pillar[6]arene and ferrocene for all-sided boosting CDT efficacy via in situ cascade reactions. GOx@GANPs could stimulate intracellular glucose conversion into H⁺ and H₂O₂ to optimize the in situ Fenton reaction conditions and continuously produce sufficient •OH. Meanwhile, consumption of the original intracellular GSH pool and inhibition of GSH regeneration were synchronously achieved through the GSH-responsive gambogic acid prodrug and cutting off adenosine triphosphate (ATP) supply for GSH resynthesis, respectively. This complete GSH exhausting characteristic of GOx@GANPs effectively suppressed •OH elimination, ultimately resulting in a superior CDT effect. Furthermore, GOx@GANPs also produced synergistic effects of starvation therapy, chemotherapy, and CDT, exhibiting low toxicity toward normal tissues. Thus, this work introduces a valuable way for optimizing and elevating CDT efficiency and synergistic treatment of tumors.

A triphenylphosphine coordinated Cu(I) Fenton-like agent with ferrocene moieties for enhanced chemodynamic therapy

A triphenylphosphine coordinated Cu(I) complex of Fc-OD-Cu was rationally designed for chemodynamic therapy (CDT) of cancer. The complex was capable of generating a highly toxic hydroxyl radical (˙OH) via a Fenton-like reaction induced by Cu(I) moieties and simultaneously mediated by ferrocene moieties. As a result, the CDT efficiency of Fc-OD-Cu is higher than that of Ba-OD-Cu (without ferrocene moieties) and Fc-OD (without Cu(I) moieties).

Controllable self-assembly of thiophene-based π-conjugated molecule and further construction of pillar[5]arene-based host-guest white-light emission system

Photoluminescence materials have been widely applied in biological imaging and sensing, anti-counterfeiting, light-emitting diodes, logic gates et al. The fabrication of luminescent materials with adjustable emission color by self-assembly of π-conjugated molecules has attracted particular attention. In this study, we designed and synthesized a thiophene-based α-cyanostyrene-derivative (TPPA), then investigate its self-assembly morphology and fluorescence emission under different organic solvents, different proportions of H2O/THF (DMSO) mixture and different pH conditions by UV, FL and SEM images. It was found that TPPA formed nanoparticles by self-assembly in organic solvent (THF or DMSO), accompanied by strong fluorescence emission. However, with the increase of water ratio, the fluorescence intensity decreased accompany with red shift, and the self-assembly morphology changed from nanoparticles to fibers. More interestingly, when pillar[5]arene (P5) was added to form host-guest complex with TPPA, white light emission could be successfully constructed when the ratio of TPPA to P5 was 1:20 and THF to water was 19:1.

Glucose Metabolism Intervention-Facilitated Nanomedicine Therapy

Ordinarily, cancer cells possess features of abnormally increased nutrient intake and metabolic pathways. The disorder of glucose metabolism is the most important among them. Therefore, starvation therapy targeting glucose metabolism specifically, which results in metabolic disorders, restricted synthesis, and inhibition of tumor growth, has been developed for cancer therapy. However, issues such as inadequate targeting effectiveness and drug tolerance impede their clinical transformation. In recent years, nanomaterial-assisted starvation treatment has made significant progress in addressing these challenges, whether as a monotherapy or in combination with other medications. Herein, representative researches on the construction of nanosystems conducting starvation therapy are introduced. Elaborate designs and interactions between different treatment mechanisms are meticulously mentioned. Not only are traditional treatments based on glucose oxidase involved, but also newly sprung small molecule agents targeting glucose metabolism. The obstacles and potential for advancing these anticancer therapies were also highlighted in this review.

Orthogonal Design of Supramolecular Prodrug Vesicles via Water-Soluble Pillar[5]arene and Betulinic Acid Derivative for Dual Chemotherapy

Supramolecular prodrug vesicles with efficient property for dual chemotherapy have been successfully constructed based on the orthogonal self-assembly between a water-soluble pillar[5]arene host (WP5) and a betulinic acid guest (BA-D) as well as doxorubicin (DOX). Under the acidic microenvironment of cancer cells, both the encapsulated anticancer drug DOX and prodrug BA-D can be effectively released from DOX-loaded WP5⊃BA-D prodrug vesicles for combinational chemotherapy. Furthermore, bioexperiments indicate that DOX-loaded prodrug vesicles can obviously enhance the anticancer efficiency based on the cooperative effect of DOX and BA-D, while remarkably reducing the systematic toxicity in tumor-mice, displaying great potential applications in combinational chemotherapy for cancer treatments.