A novel pH-responsive Fe-MOF system for enhanced cancer treatment mediated by the Fenton reaction

Recently, the toxic hydroxyl radical (center dot OH) has received wide interest for inducing cell apoptosis by increasing the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Herein, a cationic polymer (MV-PAH) was rationally synthesized, and a new pH-responsive nanoreactor (DOX@Fe-MOF@PEM) was modified with the prepared cationic polymer MV-PAH multilayers by layer-by-layer (LBL) technique. The polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) disassembled and notably enhanced drug delivery in the weak acid environment of the tumor cell. In the cytotoxicity and apoptosis experiments, DOX@Fe-MOF@PEM revealed an advanced repression of cancer. The H2O2 induced by DOX and MV-PAH could be catalyzed to generate hypertoxic center dot OH through intracellular iron ions based on a Fenton-like reaction, which thereby improved the anticancer effect of DOX. This realistic strategy may create a potential way to provide a combination of ROS and chemotherapy to improve the anti-cancer effect.

Automated summary

By modifying a new pH-responsive nanoreactor with the cationic polymer MV-PAH, drug delivery was notably enhanced in the weak acid environment of tumor cells, showing advanced anti-cancer effects.