An inorganic prodrug, tellurium nanowires with enhanced ROS generation and GSH depletion for selective cancer therapy

Organic prodrugs have been widely reported to avoid side effects and have been applied for precise tumor therapy in recent years. However, inorganic nano-prodrugs with localized generation of toxic products in the tumor have not been reported. Herein, we report an inorganic nano-prodrug, tellurium nanowires (TeNWs), that generate toxic TeO66- triggered by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for highly selective cancer chemotherapy. Bovine serum albumin and dextran conjugate coated TeNWs, with a length of similar to 82 nm and a width of similar to 7 nm, showed high stability in physiological medium. The interaction between TeNWs and intracellular H2O2 produces toxic TeO66- molecules greatly enhanced ROS generation, and the reaction product, verified as TeO66-, would react with glutathione (GSH) and thus decrease intracellular GSH levels, which greatly increases ROS levels in the tumor. Importantly, TeNWs selectively kill cancer cells by caspase-independent autophagic death and apoptosis, as well as exerting an immune response, while not affecting normal cells due to the high H2O2 levels in cancer cells. Moreover, after the sequential reaction with H2O2 and GSH, TeNWs were dissociated into small molecules and could be rapidly and completely removed from the body. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments indicate that TeNWs are a promising inorganic nano-prodrug that exerts good selective therapeutic effects on tumors.