Oxygen-producing proenzyme hydrogels for photodynamic-mediated metastasis-inhibiting combinational therapy

J Mater Chem B. 2021 Jul 7;9(26):5255-5263. doi: 10.1039/d1tb01009c.

Abstract

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has provided a promising approach for the treatment of solid tumors, while the therapeutic efficacy is often limited due to the hypoxic tumor microenvironment, resulting in tumor metastasis. Herein, we report an oxygen-producing proenzyme hydrogel (OPeH) with photoactivatable enzymatic activity for PDT enabled metastasis-inhibiting combinational therapy of breast cancer. This OPeH based on alginate is composed of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) conjugated manganese oxide (MnO2) nanoparticles, which act as both the photosensitizer and oxygen-producing agent, and singlet oxygen (1O2)-responsive proenzyme nanoparticles. In the hypoxic and acidic tumor microenvironment, MnO2 can generate 1O2 to promote PpIX-mediated PDT with an amplified 1O2 generation efficiency, which also triggers the cleavage of 1O2-responsive linkers and cascade activation of proenzymes for cancer cell death. This combinational therapy upon photoactivation not only greatly inhibited the tumor growth, but also suppressed lung metastasis in a mouse xenograft breast tumor model, which is impossible in the case of PDT alone. This study thus provides a proenzyme hydrogel platform with photoactivatable activity for metastasis-inhibiting cancer therapy with high efficacy and safety.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / administration & dosage
  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Breast Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Breast Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor
  • Enzyme Precursors / chemistry
  • Enzyme Precursors / metabolism*
  • Hydrogels / chemistry
  • Hydrogels / metabolism*
  • Injections, Subcutaneous
  • Manganese Compounds / administration & dosage
  • Manganese Compounds / chemistry
  • Manganese Compounds / pharmacology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry
  • Oxides / administration & dosage
  • Oxides / chemistry
  • Oxides / pharmacology
  • Oxygen / chemistry
  • Oxygen / metabolism*
  • Photochemotherapy*
  • Photosensitizing Agents / administration & dosage
  • Photosensitizing Agents / chemistry
  • Photosensitizing Agents / pharmacology*
  • Protoporphyrins / administration & dosage
  • Protoporphyrins / chemistry
  • Protoporphyrins / pharmacology

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Enzyme Precursors
  • Hydrogels
  • Manganese Compounds
  • Oxides
  • Photosensitizing Agents
  • Protoporphyrins
  • manganese oxide
  • protoporphyrin IX
  • Oxygen