Cyclic reactions-mediated self-supply of H2O2 and O2 for cooperative chemodynamic/starvation cancer therapy

Hydroxyl radical (center dot OH)-mediated chemodynamic therapy (CDT) and glucose oxidase (GOx)-based starvation therapy (ST) are two emerging antitumor strategies, limited by acid/H2O2 deficiency and tumor hypoxia, respectively. Herein, we developed a liposomal nanoplatform co-delivering Fe(OH)3-doped CaO2 nanocomposites and GOx molecules for synergistic CDT/ST with a complementary effect. Based on Fenton reactions initiated by iron ions, CaO2-supplied H2O2 could not only generate center dot OH for H2O2-sufficient CDT, but also produce O2 to promote the catalytic efficiency of GOx under hypoxia. In return, the enhanced ST generated gluconic acid and H2O2, further amplifying CDT. Through in vitro and in vivo experiments, we demonstrated that such a mutually reinforced modality based on the cyclic Fenton/starvation reactions provided a novel and potent anticancer mechanism for the effective treatment of hypoxic cancers.

Automated summary

This study developed a novel nanoplatform that co-delivers Fe(OH)3-doped CaO2 nanocomposites and GOx molecules for synergistic chemodynamic therapy and starvation therapy, providing a mutually reinforced modality based on cyclic Fenton/starvation reactions for effective treatment of hypoxic cancers.