A self-assembled copper-artemisinin nanoprodrug as an efficient reactive oxygen species amplified cascade system for cancer treatment

Abstract

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) is a tumor-specific intervention methodology, which is based on the upregulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) content by triggering the Fenton or Fenton-like reaction within the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, there are still challenges in achieving high-efficiency CDT on account of both the limited intracellular hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and delivery efficiency of Fenton metal ions. Copper-based nanotherapeutic systems have attracted extensive attention and have been widely applied in the construction of nanotherapeutic systems and multimodal synergistic therapy. Herein, we propose a strategy to synergize chemotherapy drugs that upregulate intracellular ROS content with chemodynamic therapy and construct an artemisinin-copper nanoprodrug for proof-of-concept. With the proposed biomimetic self-assembly strategy, we successfully construct an injectable nanoprodrug with suitable size distribution and high drug loading content (68.1 wt%) through the self-assembly of amphiphilic artemisinin prodrug and copper ions. After reaching the TME, both Cu²⁺ ions and free AH drugs can be released from AHCu nanoprodrugs. Subsequently, the disassembled Cu²⁺ ions are converted into Cu⁺ ions by consuming the intracellular GSH. The generated Cu⁺ ions serve as a highly efficient Fenton-like reagent for robust ROS generation from both AH and tumor-over-produced H₂O₂. Results show that the nanoprodrug can realize the cascade amplification of ROS generation via artemisinin delivery and subsequent in situ Fenton-like reaction and a high tumor inhibition rate of 62.48% in vivo. This work provides a promising strategy for the design and development of an efficient nanoprodrug for tumor-specific treatment.