Most tumors contain regions of low oxygen concentration where cancer therapies based on the action of reactive oxygen species are ineffective. Now, American scientists have developed a hybrid nanomaterial that releases a free-radical-generating prodrug inside tumor cells upon thermal activation. As they report in the journal Angewandte Chemie, the free radicals destroy the cell components even in oxygen-depleted conditions, causing apoptosis. Delivery, release, and action of the hybrid material can be precisely controlled.
Many well-established cancer treatment schemes are based on the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which induce apoptosis for the tumor cells. However, this mechanism only works in the presence of oxygen, and hypoxic (oxygen-depleted) regions in the tumor tissue often survive the ROS-based treatment. Therefore, Younan Xia at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, USA, and his team have developed a strategy to deliver and release a radical-generating prodrug that, upon activation, damages cells by a ROS-type radical mechanism, but without the need for oxygen.
The authors explained that they had to turn to the field of polymerization chemistry to find a compound that produces enough radicals. There, the azo compound AIPH is a well-known polymerization initiator. In medicinal applications, it generates free alkyl radicals that cause DNA damage and lipid and protein peroxidation in cells even under hypoxic conditions. However, the AIPH must be safely delivered to the cells in the tissue. Thus, the scientists used nanocages, the cavities of which were filled with lauric acid, a so-called phase-change material (PCM) that can serve as a carrier for AIPH. Once inside the target tissue, irradiation by a near-infrared laser heats up the nanocages, causing the PCM to melt and triggering the release and decomposition of AIPH.

Image Credit: Triche National Cancer Institute
News This Week
Emission of Fe- and Ti-Containing Nanoparticles from Coal-Fired Power Plants
In an article published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, researchers have highlighted the significance and potential risks associated with the release of nanoparticles from coal-fired power plants. Applying the single-particle inductively coupled plasma mass [...]
Covalent Organic Framework Nanofluidic Hybrid Membrane for Osmotic Energy Generation
A paper recently published in the journal ACS Applied Energy Materials demonstrated the feasibility of using a covalent organic framework (COF)-based nanofluidic hybrid membranes (NHMs) to attain enhanced interfacial ion transport for the generation of osmotic [...]
Degradable Nanocomposite Removes Antibiotics from Contaminated Water
The excess fluoroquinolones (FQs) discharged into the aquatic environment due to human activities must be removed cost-effectively. In an article published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, the authors fabricated an environment-friendly dealkaline lignin-grafted Fe3O4 nanoparticles [...]
Light-controlled reactions at the nanoscale
Controlling strong electromagnetic fields on nanoparticles is the key to triggering targeted molecular reactions on their surfaces. Such control over strong fields is achieved via laser light. Although laser-induced formation and breaking of molecular [...]
Bright Future for Nanophotonic Chips with Topological Rainbow Device
A paper recently published in the journal Nature Communications demonstrated an effective method to realize on-chip nanophotonic topological rainbow devices using the concept of synthetic dimensions. Importance of Synthetic Dimensions for the Construction of Topological Nanophotonics [...]
Green Approach to Silver Nanoparticle Fabrication with Citrus Fruits
In a study available in the journal Materials Today: Proceedings, silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were fabricated using a green method using Citrus X sinensis. Methylthioninium Chloride (MB) Dyes Threatening the Environment Dye and sewage drainage into [...]
Coronavirus ‘ghosts’ found lingering in the gut
Scientists are studying whether long COVID could be linked to viral fragments found in the body months after initial infection. In the chaos of the first months of the coronavirus pandemic, oncologist and geneticist [...]
Experts perplexed over number of people getting long COVID
Public health experts are divided over how many people are getting long COVID-19, a potentially debilitating condition that comes after a patient has recovered from the coronavirus. Ill effects from the condition can include [...]
Leave A Comment