Ternary Alloy PtWMn as a Mn Nanoreservoir for High-Field MRI Monitoring and Highly Selective Ferroptosis Therapy

Ferroptosis exhibits potential to damage drug-resistant cancer cells. However, it is still restricted with the off-target toxicity from the undesirable leakage of metal ions from ferroptosis agents, and the lack of reliable imaging for monitoring the ferroptosis process in living systems. Herein, we develop a novel ternary alloy PtWMn nanocube as a Mn reservoir, and further design a microenvironment-triggered nanoplatform that can accurately release Mn ions within the tumor to increase reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, produce O-2 and consume excess glutathione for synergistically enhancing nonferrous ferroptosis. Moreover, this nanoplatform exerts a responsive signal in high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which enables the real-time report of Mn release and the monitoring of ferroptosis initiation through the signal changes of T-1-/T-2-MRI. Thus, our nanoplatform provides a novel strategy to store, deliver and precisely release Mn ions for MRI-guided high-specificity ferroptosis therapy.

Automated summary

Researchers have developed a novel nanoplatform for ferroptosis therapy and can monitor the process in real-time using high-field MRI.