Researchers at Oregon State University have created a new nanomaterial designed to destroy cancer cells from the inside. The material activates two separate chemical reactions once inside a tumor cell, overwhelming it with oxidative stress while leaving surrounding healthy tissue unharmed.
The work, led by Oleh Taratula, Olena Taratula, and Chao Wang from the OSU College of Pharmacy, was published in Advanced Functional Materials.
Advancing Chemodynamic Therapy
The discovery strengthens the growing field of chemodynamic therapy or CDT. This emerging cancer treatment strategy takes advantage of the unique chemical conditions found inside tumors. Compared with normal tissue, cancer cells tend to be more acidic and contain higher levels of hydrogen peroxide.
Traditional CDT uses these tumor conditions to spark the formation of hydroxyl radicals, highly reactive molecules made of oxygen and hydrogen that contain an unpaired electron. These reactive oxygen species damage cells through oxidation, stripping electrons from essential components such as lipids, proteins, and DNA.
More recent CDT approaches have also succeeded in generating singlet oxygen inside tumors. Singlet oxygen is another reactive oxygen species, named for its single electron spin state rather than the three spin states seen in the more stable oxygen molecules present in the air.
Overcoming Limits of Existing CDT Agents
"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 tumor regression and not a durable therapeutic benefit."
To address these shortcomings, the team developed a new CDT nanoagent built from an iron-based metal-organic framework or MOF. This structure is capable of producing both hydroxyl radicals and singlet oxygen, increasing its cancer-fighting potential. The MOF demonstrated strong toxicity across multiple cancer cell lines while causing minimal harm to noncancerous cells.
Complete Tumor Regression in Mice
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