Novel nanocarrier for promoting tumor synergistic therapy by down-regulation of heat shock proteins and increased Fe3+ supply

With the emergence of new therapeutic methods, synergistic therapy has attracted great attention because it can improve the treatment efficacy, and reduce the toxic side effects. Herein, we developed a nanocarrier BGT by co-loading glucose oxidase (GOD) and transferrin (TRF) on the porous Bi nanoparticles (NPs) for improving tumor synergistic therapy. GOD endows BGT with catalytic capacity of decomposing glucose into gluconic acid and a large amount of H2O2 for starving therapy. H2O2 further destroys TRF structure and releases Fe3+, which could react with H2O2 to generate highly toxic OH for chemodynamic therapy (CDT). In addition, GOD-induced glucose depletion and decreased expression of heat shock proteins (HSPs) can also alleviate the thermotolerance of tumor cells to improve the efficiency of mild photothermal therapy (PTT). Mild temperature can in turn promote the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) for improving the synergistic therapy. Combined with the excellent targeting ability of TRF, efficient tumor synergistic therapy can be achieved. This work shows that BGT has good photothermal stability and biocompatibility, and can be used as a nanocarrier, providing an effective method for collaborative therapy of tumor.

Automated summary

In this study, a nanocarrier BGT was developed by co-loading glucose oxidase (GOD) and transferrin (TRF) on the porous Bi nanoparticles (NPs) for improving tumor synergistic therapy. The combination of GOD-induced glucose depletion, chemodynamic therapy (CDT), and mild photothermal therapy (PTT) provides an efficient approach for collaborative treatment of tumors. The targeting ability of TRF further enhances the efficacy of the therapy.