Enhanced antitumor effect via amplified oxidative stress by near-infrared light-responsive and folate-targeted nanoplatform

The efficiency of producing hydroxyl radicals (OH) from hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) catalyzed by different iron compounds have been explored extensively. Exclusively, ferrocenecarboxylic acid (FCA) showed the best catalyzed activity for OH generation. Then, we designed and prepared near-infrared (NIR) light-responsive and folate-targeted nanoplatform, which co-delivered FCA, cisplatin and indocyanine green (ICG) for improving antitumor therapy through amplified oxidative stress. The noteworthy observation is that under the irradiation of NIR light, the lecithin structure could able to depolymerize through the photothermal conversion mechanism of encapsulated dye ICG, which has achieved an intelligent release of drugs. In addition, the released cisplatin is not only fully effective to damage the DNA of cancer cells but it is able to induce the production of intracellular H2O2, which could further be catalyzed by FCA to generate toxic OH for oxidative damage via Fenton and Haber-Weiss reaction. This original strategy may provide an efficient way for improved chemotherapy via amplified oxidative stress.

Automated summary

The study found that ferrocenecarboxylic acid is the most efficient catalyst for generating hydroxyl radicals, and a NIR light-responsive nanoplatform was designed to co-deliver FCA, cisplatin, and ICG for enhanced antitumor therapy. This platform achieved intelligent drug release and improved chemotherapy through amplified oxidative stress.