Prodrug-Loaded Zirconium Carbide Nanosheets as a Novel Biophotonic Nanoplatform for Effective Treatment of Cancer.

Abstract

Conventional chemotherapy and photothermal therapy (PTT) face many major challenges, including systemic toxicity, low bioavailability, ineffective tissue penetration, chemotherapy/hyperthermia-induced inflammation, and tumor angiogenesis. A versatile nanomedicine offers an exciting opportunity to circumvent the abovementioned limitations for their successful translation into clinical practice. Here, a promising biophotonic nanoplatform is developed based on the zirconium carbide (ZrC) nanosheet as a deep PTT-photosensitizer and on-demand designed anticancer prodrug SN38-Nif, which is released and activated by photothermia and tumor-overexpressed esterase. In vitro and in vivo experimental evidence shows the potent anticancer effects of the integrated ZrC@prodrug biophotonic nanoplatform by specifically targeting malignant cells, chemotherapy/hyperthermia-induced tumor inflammation, and angiogenesis. In mouse models, the ZrC@prodrug system markedly inhibits tumor recurrence, metastasis, inflammation and angiogenesis. The findings unravel a promising biophotonic strategy for precision treatment of cancer.

• Authors: Quan Liu, Zhongjian Xie, Meng Qiu, Inseob Shim, Yunlong Yang, Sisi Xie, Qinhe Yang, Dou Wang, Shiyou Chen, Taojian Fan, Bo Ding, Ziheng Guo, Dickson Adah, Xinhuang Yao, Yuhua Zhang, Hong Wu, Zongze Wu, Chaoying Wei, Hongzhong Wang, Hyeong Seok Kim, Qingshuang Zou, Qiaoting Yan, Zhen Cai, Jong Seung Kim, Li-Ping Liu, Han Zhang, Yihai Cao
• Journal: Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) (Adv Sci (Weinh)) Vol. 7 Issue 24 Pg. 2001191 (Dec 2020) ISSN: 2198-3844 [Print] Germany
• PMID: 33344115 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: © 2020 The Authors. Published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.