Functionalized ZnMnFe2O4–PEG–FA nanoenzymes integrating diagnosis and therapy for targeting hepatic carcinoma guided by multi-modality imaging

Abstract

With its insidious onset and atypical early symptoms, hepatic carcinoma is one of the most common and malignant tumors in the world. Therefore, it is necessary to actively pursue efficient diagnostic and treatment modalities for this malignancy. Photothermal therapy (PTT) is a non-invasive treatment technique that can generate high temperatures locally to induce tumor cell death, but its effectiveness is limited by the tissue-penetration depth of infrared light. Enzyme-catalyzed therapy promotes the production of toxic hydroxyl groups (˙OH) from hydrogen peroxide in tumor cells in situ, but its efficacy is also affected by the catalytic efficiency of ˙OH. Thus, given the complexity of tumors, multimodal therapy is critical for cancer treatment. Herein, we report a novel biomimetic nanoparticle (NP) platform (ZnMnFe₂O₄–PEG–FA) that enables combined PTT and nanozyme-catalyzed therapy. Due to the excellent photothermal effect of ZnMnFe₂O₄–PEG–FA, these NPs can reach an ideal temperature and damage tumor cells under lower near-infrared laser power irradiation, while exhibiting enhanced catalytic ability, largely alleviating the limitations of conventional PTT and catalytic therapy. Hence, the combination of these two treatments can provide significantly greater cytotoxicity. Additionally, ZnMnFe₂O₄–PEG–FA NPs have excellent photoacoustic imaging and magnetic resonance imaging capabilities, which enable monitoring and can guide cancer treatment. Therefore, ZnMnFe₂O₄–PEG–FA NPs integrate the diagnosis and treatment of tumors. Hence, this study provides a potential model of combined cancer diagnosis and treatment, which could be applied as a multimodal antitumor strategy in clinical settings in the future.