To improve the efficiency of radiation therapy (RT) for breast cancer, a designable multifunctional core-shell nanocomposite of FeP@Pt is constructed using Fe(III)-polydopamine (denoted as FeP) as the core and platinum particles (Pt) as the shell. The hybrid structure is further covered with hyaluronic acid (HA) to give the final nanoplatform of FeP@Pt@HA (denoted as FPH). FPH exhibits good biological stability, prolongs blood circulation time, and is simultaneously endowed with tumor-targeting ability. With CD44-mediated endocytosis of HA, FPH can be internalized by cancer cells and activated by the tumor microenvironment (TME). The redox reaction between Fe3+ in FPH and endogenous glutathione (GSH) or/and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) initiates ferroptosis therapy by promoting GSH exhaustion and •OH generation. Moreover, FPH has excellent photothermal conversion efficiency and can absorb near-infrared laser energy to promote the above catalytic reaction as well as to achieve photothermal therapy (PTT). Ferroptosis therapy and PTT are further accompanied by the catalase activity of Pt nanoshells to accelerate O2 production and the high X-ray attenuation coefficient of Pt for enhanced radiotherapy (RT). Apart from the therapeutic modalities, FPH exhibits dual-modal contrast enhancement in infrared (IR) thermal imaging and computed tomography (CT) imaging, offering potential in imaging-guided cancer therapy. In this article, the nanoplatform can remodel the TME through the production of O2, GSH- and H2O2-depletion, coenhanced PTT, ferroptosis, and RT. This multimodal nanoplatform is anticipated to shed light on the design of TME-activatable materials to enhance the synergism of treatment results and enable the establishment of efficient nanomedicine.
Keywords: core−shell nanomaterials; ferroptosis therapy; photothermal therapy; radiotherapy; tumor microenvironment remodeling.