The new nanomaterial triggers a pair of chemical reactions inside cancer cells, killing the cells via oxidative stress while leaving healthy tissues alone. It’s an iron-based metal-organic framework that in cancer cells catalyses the production of radical hydroxyls and singlet oxygen. Credit: Graphic by Parinaz Ghanbari.
A new cancer-killing material has been developed by Oregon State University nanomedicine researchers.
Scientists at Oregon State University have developed a new nanomaterial that triggers a pair of chemical reactions inside cancer cells, killing the cells via oxidative stress while leaving healthy tissues alone.
The study led by Oleh and Olena Taratula and Chao Wang of the OSU College of Pharmacy advances the field of chemodynamic therapy or CDT, an emerging treatment approach based on the distinctive biochemical environment found in cancer cells.
Compared to healthy tissues, malignant tumours are more acidic and have elevated concentrations of hydrogen peroxide, the scientists explain.
Conventional CDT works by using the tumour microenvironment to trigger the chemical production of hydroxyl radicals: molecules made up of oxygen and hydrogen, with an unpaired electron.
These reactive oxygen species are able to damage cells through oxidation by stealing electrons from molecules like lipids, proteins and DNA.
Recent chemodynamic therapy designs have been able to use tumour conditions to catalyse production of another reactive oxygen species, singlet oxygen, so named because it has one electron spin state rather than the three states found in the more stable oxygen molecules in the air.
“However, existing CDT agents are limited,” Oleh Taratula said. “They efficiently generate either radical hydroxyls or singlet oxygen but not both, and they often lack sufficient catalytic activity to sustain robust reactive oxygen species production.
“Consequently, preclinical studies often only show partial tumour regression and not a durable therapeutic benefit.”
Novel nanoagent
In this paper, the scientists present a novel CDT nanoagent, an iron-based metal-organic framework or MOF, able to generate both compounds for more effective treatment, and with superior catalytic efficiency.
The MOF showed potent toxicity in multiple cancer cell lines and negligible harm to noncancerous cells.
Olena Taratula said: “When we systemically administered our nanoagent in mice bearing human breast cancer cells, it efficiently accumulated in tumours, robustly generated reactive oxygen species and completely eradicated the cancer without adverse effects.
“We saw total tumour regression and long-term prevention of recurrence, all without seeing any systemic toxicity.”
Before this treatment can be tested in humans, the research team plans to evaluate its therapeutic efficacy in various cancer types, including aggressive pancreatic cancer, to demonstrate its broad applicability across different malignancies.
The study is published in Advanced Functional Materials.
