Jul 2026· Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology. B: Biology· Vol 282, pp.
113530
· 0 citations· 42 references
Medicine
TL;DR
An electrostatically assembled oxygen-supplying nanozyme platform to mitigate oxygen shortage during PDT and enhance therapeutic efficacy against hypoxic solid tumors is presented.
Abstract
Tumor hypoxia severely limits the therapeutic efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT), which relies on molecular oxygen to generate cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS). Herein, an electrostatically assembled gold nanocluster-porphyrinic metal-organic framework nanozyme (AuNCs-pMOF) was developed as an oxygen-supplying platform for enhanced PDT of hypoxic tumors. By integrating catalase-mimetic gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) with a porphyrin-based metal-organic framework (pMOF), the resulting AuNCs-pMOF nanocomposite catalyzes the decomposition of endogenous H2O2 to provide local O2, thereby supporting 1O2/ROS generation under oxygen-limited conditions. In vitro studies demonstrated that AuNCs-pMOF maintained efficient ROS production and phototoxicity under hypoxia, whereas pristine pMOF showed reduced PDT efficacy. In vivo antitumor evaluation further confirmed that AuNCs-pMOF combined with light irradiation markedly inhibited tumor growth and induced pronounced tumor cell death, while showing favorable short-term tolerability under the tested experimental conditions. Overall, this work presents an electrostatically assembled oxygen-supplying nanozyme platform to mitigate oxygen shortage during PDT and enhance therapeutic efficacy against hypoxic solid tumors.
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) efficacy is severely compromised by tumor hypoxia and the scarcity of efficient type-I photosensitizers, necessitating multimodal therapeutic strategies. Herein, we report a porphyrin-Cu (II) covalent organic framework (TBCOF) with intrinsic bifunctional photodynamic and chemodynamic activities. Sequential DOX encapsulation and hyaluronic acid (HA) surface functionalization afford HA-TBCOF@DOX, a tumor-targeted nanoplatform integrating four synergistic therapeutic modalities. Under 660 nm laser irradiation, the nanoplatform generates ROS signatures consistent with both type-I and type-II pathways for PDT, while the intrinsic Cu2+ centers are proposed to catalyze a Fenton-like reaction consistent with •OH generation for CDT. Concurrently, observations of O2 evolution suggest catalase-like activity that may decompose endogenous H2O2 into O2, alleviating hypoxia and potentiating oxygen-dependent PDT. Efficient photothermal conversion and pH-triggered DOX release contribute to photothermal and chemotherapeutic effects, respectively, while HA-mediated CD44 targeting enhances cellular uptake and therapeutic specificity. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate that laser-activated HA-TBCOF@DOX effectively suppresses tumor growth, induces apoptosis, and exhibits no apparent systemic toxicity under the tested experimental conditions. This work establishes a multifunctional COF-based nanoplatform that addresses PDT limitations observed in this study by integrating intrinsic PDT and CDT, providing a robust strategy for synergistic multimodal cancer therapy.
Yongjie Mo, Jie Hou, Hong-Li Li et al.· Materials Today Bio· 0 citations
Cerium molybdate-doped polyaniline nanoparticles are developed to enable a synergistic combination of photothermal therapy (PTT) and CDT, thereby triggering immunogenic cell death (ICD) and enhancing antitumor immunity and presenting a robust nanoplatform integrating chemodynamic and photothermal therapies for potent cancer immunotherapy.
Yulin Kuang, Cheng Lu, Bolan Yu et al.· Bioactive Materials· 0 citations
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-based treatment modality whose efficacy is often limited by poor photosensitizer stability and delivery. In this study, mesoporous silica-coated iron oxide nanoclusters (MNCs) were synthesized and loaded with protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) to obtain a multifunctional PPIX@MNC nanoplatform. Physicochemical characterization was performed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential analysis, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The biological effects of MNC, free PPIX, and PPIX@MNC were evaluated in HaCaT cells—as a general epithelial model—under dark conditions, light irradiation, cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) exposure, and combined CAP-assisted photodynamic treatment. FTIR, DLS, and zeta potential analyses confirmed successful incorporation of PPIX into the nanoclusters. Cell viability assays revealed pronounced phototoxicity of free PPIX, with the IC50 value decreasing from 44.4 ± 3.5 nM under dark conditions to 14 ± 2 nM following light activation, corresponding to a phototoxicity index of 3.17. CAP further enhanced PPIX-mediated cytotoxicity, and the CAP-assisted photodynamic group exhibited the strongest response, with an IC50 value of 9.6 ± 1.1 nM. CAP further enhanced PPIX-mediated cytotoxicity. Increased ROS generation, enhanced apoptosis, and marked mitochondrial membrane potential disruption were observed particularly in CAP-Light-PPIX-treated cells. Although encapsulation of PPIX within MNCs reduced acute cytotoxicity compared with free PPIX, the nanoplatform retained responsiveness to light and CAP stimulation. These findings demonstrate that CAP potentiates PPIX-mediated photodynamic effects through enhanced oxidative stress and suggest that mesoporous silica-coated magnetic nanoclusters represent a promising platform for controlled photosensitizer delivery in CAP-assisted PDT applications.
Demet Erdağ, Harun Başoğlu, L. Yalçıntepe et al.· Nanomaterials· 0 citations
This review constructs a refined mechanistic framework to elaborate the complementary mechanisms of PDT and PTT toward CDT in terms of reaction kinetics modulation, endogenous substrate replenishment, and tumor antioxidant defense inhibition, and the key bottlenecks hindering clinical translation.
Yuxuan Ma, Jie Gong, Zixuan Wu et al.· International Journal of Nan...· 0 citations
This work reports a novel strategy for developing a theranostic nanoplatform for long-lasting PDT activated by 1530 nm laser irradiation and glutathione (GSH)-triggered carbon-centered radical synergistic therapy that responds specifically to the TME.
Jitong Gong, Yu Liu, Qingkun Yang et al.· ACS Applied Materials and In...· 0 citations
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