Issue 35, 2021

A light-controlled multi-step drug release nanosystem targeting tumor hypoxia for synergistic cancer therapy

Abstract

Hypoxia is a major obstacle for cancer therapy due to its association with cell proliferation, tumor distant metastasis, and treatment resistance. In this study, a hypoxia-activated bifunctional prodrug (CC5) was designed, synthesized and encapsulated by a photo-responsive ruthenium complex-derived polymer to yield a light-controlled multi-step drug release system (CC5-RuCa) for synergistic therapy against tumor hypoxia. Under NIR irradiation, CC5-RuCa not only generated ROS to kill the cancer cells in the exterior of the tumor but also released the prodrug CC5 with enhanced intratumoral penetration in the severe hypoxia region inside the tumor tissue. In vivo studies on MDA-MB-231 xenograft models revealed that CC5-RuCa with preferential accumulation in the tumor exhibited highly efficient tumor regression through the synergistic effect of photodynamic therapy and hypoxia-activated chemotherapy.

Graphical abstract: A light-controlled multi-step drug release nanosystem targeting tumor hypoxia for synergistic cancer therapy

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
03 apr 2021
Accepted
25 jul 2021
First published
03 aug 2021
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2021,12, 11810-11820

A light-controlled multi-step drug release nanosystem targeting tumor hypoxia for synergistic cancer therapy

B. Zhang, Z. Xu, W. Zhou, Z. Liu, J. Zhao and S. Gou, Chem. Sci., 2021, 12, 11810 DOI: 10.1039/D1SC01888D

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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