Fe-doped carbon dot liposome enhanced radiosensitivity of tumor cells by inducing ferroptosis

Abstract

Ferroptosis, a new type of non-apoptotic cell death which depends on the iron pathway, plays an important role in cancer therapy. There are various ways to induce ferroptosis, among which radiotherapy is one method, but a single radiotherapy method may also have difficulties in patients' drug resistance and radiation resistance, which will affect the therapeutic effect. In this study, we constructed Fenton reaction anti-cancer iron-carrying nano-carbon-dot liposomes (Fe-CDs-PEG) with CDs as the core, which can enhance sensitivity to radiotherapy by inducing ferroptosis in lung cancer cells. Extracellular Fe-CDs-PEG can catalyze H₂O₂ to produce hydroxyl radicals (˙OH) and consume glutathione (GSH). After Fe-CDs-PEG enters lung cancer cells, it can lead to the occurrence of excess iron, iron metabolism disorder, GSH consumption, and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to the accumulation of lipid peroxides on the cell membrane, activating the ferroptosis pathway, to achieve sensitization to radiotherapy. This CD-based tool would provide a new idea for an efficient therapy for lung cancer.