Issue 27, 2023

Construction of Fe-doped ZIF-8/DOX nanocomposites for ferroptosis strategy in the treatment of breast cancer

Abstract

Breast cancer has become one of the top five commonest causes of cancer death. The use of ferroptosis to induce the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cancer cells presents a promising and potential strategy for cancer treatment. Herein, a series of facile bimetallic nanoparticles (x% Fe-doped ZIF-8) were synthesized and tested, and doxorubicin (DOX), a classic drug for breast cancer therapy, was encapsulated. After comparing the ratios of Fe2+/(Fe2+ + Zn2+), 7% Fe-doped ZIF-8 (7FZ) was found to be the most suitable particle for medical application. The drug loading efficiency of DOX@7FZ was 58.01 ± 0.02%. The pH-sensitive DOX@7FZ was degraded and DOX was released in lysosomes once internalized. Both the intracellular content of iron and ROS increased significantly. Meanwhile, the cell viability declined to 13.98% in 24 h at a concentration of 60 μg mL−1 and the IC50 was 42.68 μg mL−1. Moreover, the expression of Bcl-2 and GPX-4 proteins decreased in a time-dependent manner, indicating that DOX@7FZ was able to enhance the ROS level in cancer cells via a synergistic effect between apoptosis and ferroptosis. The mechanism of action of DOX@7FZ was further verified using hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemical staining of Bcl-2 and GPX-4. These remarkable characteristics of DOX@7FZ may inspire further advancements in the treatment of breast cancer.

Graphical abstract: Construction of Fe-doped ZIF-8/DOX nanocomposites for ferroptosis strategy in the treatment of breast cancer

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
05 4月 2023
Accepted
31 5月 2023
First published
01 6月 2023

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2023,11, 6335-6345

Construction of Fe-doped ZIF-8/DOX nanocomposites for ferroptosis strategy in the treatment of breast cancer

Y. Zhong, Z. Peng, Y. Peng, B. Li, Y. Pan, Q. Ouyang, H. Sakiyama, Mohd. Muddassir and J. Liu, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2023, 11, 6335 DOI: 10.1039/D3TB00749A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements