An endogenous oxygen self-supplied nanoplatform with GSH-depleted and NIR-II triggered electron–hole separation for enhanced photocatalytic anti-tumor therapy

Abstract

The use of artificial enzymes and light energy in photocatalytic therapy, a developing drug-free therapeutic approach, can treat malignant tumors in vivo. However, the relatively deficient oxygen concentration in the tumor microenvironment (TME) restrains their further tumor treatment capability. Herein, a novel nanoplatform with Cu₇S₄@Au nanocatalyst coated by MnO₂ was successfully designed. After 1064 nm light irradiation, the designed nanocatalyst can promote the separation of light generated electron–hole pairs, resulting in ROS generation and tumor cell apoptosis. The MnO₂ shelled nanoplatform can function as a TME-responsive oxygen self-supplied producer to improve photocatalyst treatment and GSH depletion. In summary, the designed novel nanoplatform shows efficient inhibition of tumor growth via GSH depletion and synergistic photocatalytic therapy, which is of great significance for improving the clinical tumor treatment effect.