A NAD(P)H oxidase mimic for catalytic tumor therapy via a deacetylase SIRT7-mediated AKT/GSK3β pathway

Nanoscale. 2024 Mar 28;16(13):6585-6595. doi: 10.1039/d3nr06538c.

Abstract

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and its phosphorylated form, NADPH, are essential cofactors that play critical roles in cell functions, influencing antioxidation, reductive biosynthesis, and cellular pathways involved in tumor cell apoptosis and tumorigenesis. However, the use of nanomaterials to consume NAD(P)H and thus bring an impact on signaling pathways in cancer treatment remains understudied. In this study, we employed a salt template method to synthesize a carbon-coated-cobalt composite (C@Co) nanozyme, which exhibited excellent NAD(P)H oxidase (NOX)-like activity and mimicked the reaction mechanism of natural NOX. The C@Co nanozyme efficiently consumed NAD(P)H within cancer cells, leading to increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and a reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential. Meanwhile, the generation of the biologically active cofactor NAD(P)+ promoted the expression of the deacetylase SIRT7, which in turn inhibited the serine/threonine kinase AKT signaling pathway, ultimately promoting apoptosis. This work sheds light on the influence of nanozymes with NOX-like activity on cellular signaling pathways in tumor therapy and demonstrates their promising antitumor effects in a tumor xenograft mouse model. These findings contribute to a better understanding of NAD(P)H manipulation in cancer treatment and suggest the potential of nanozymes as a therapeutic strategy for cancer therapy.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta / drug effects
  • Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • NAD / metabolism
  • NADPH Oxidases* / pharmacology
  • NADPH Oxidases* / therapeutic use
  • Nanostructures* / therapeutic use
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Neoplasms / therapy
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / drug effects
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / metabolism
  • Reactive Oxygen Species / metabolism
  • Sirtuins* / drug effects
  • Sirtuins* / metabolism

Substances

  • Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta
  • NAD
  • NADPH Oxidases
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • Reactive Oxygen Species
  • SIRT7 protein, human
  • Sirtuins
  • Sirt7 protein, mouse