Traditional treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) still lack effectiveness. Recently, the combined mode of chemodynamic therapy (CDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) has shown great potential against HCC. However, insufficient Fenton reaction rates and hyperthermia-induced heat shock responses greatly impair their efficiency, hindering their further clinical application. Here, we constructed a cascade-amplified PTT/CDT nanoplatform by coating an IR780-embedded red blood cell membrane on glucose oxidase (GOx)-loaded Fe3O4 nanoparticles for effective HCC treatment. On the one hand, the nanoplatform interfered with glucose metabolism through the action of GOx to reduce the synthesis of ATP, which reduced the expression of heat shock proteins, thereby sensitizing the IR780-mediated PTT. On the other hand, hydrogen peroxide generated during GOx catalysis and the thermal effect of PTT accelerated the Fe3O4-mediated Fenton reaction, realizing enhanced CDT. Consequently, the sensitized PTT and enhanced CDT for HCC management could be simultaneously achieved by interfering with glucose metabolism, providing an alternative strategy for the effective treatment of tumors.
Keywords: enhanced chemodynamic therapy; glucose metabolism intervention; glucose oxidase; hepatocellular carcinoma; sensitized photothermal therapy.