In vivo guiding nitrogen-doped carbon nanozyme for tumor catalytic therapy

Nat Commun. 2018 Apr 12;9(1):1440. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-03903-8.

Abstract

Nanomaterials with intrinsic enzyme-like activities (nanozymes), have been widely used as artificial enzymes in biomedicine. However, how to control their in vivo performance in a target cell is still challenging. Here we report a strategy to coordinate nanozymes to target tumor cells and selectively perform their activity to destruct tumors. We develop a nanozyme using nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanospheres which possess four enzyme-like activities (oxidase, peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase) responsible for reactive oxygen species regulation. We then introduce ferritin to guide nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanospheres into lysosomes and boost reactive oxygen species generation in a tumor-specific manner, resulting in significant tumor regression in human tumor xenograft mice models. Together, our study provides evidence that nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanospheres are powerful nanozymes capable of regulating intracellular reactive oxygen species, and ferritinylation is a promising strategy to render nanozymes to target tumor cells for in vivo tumor catalytic therapy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biocatalysis
  • Carbon / chemistry
  • Enzyme Therapy*
  • Enzymes / chemistry
  • Enzymes / metabolism*
  • Female
  • Ferritins / metabolism
  • HT29 Cells
  • Hep G2 Cells
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Nude
  • Nanospheres / chemistry
  • Nanospheres / metabolism*
  • Nanospheres / therapeutic use*
  • Neoplasms, Experimental / drug therapy*
  • Neoplasms, Experimental / metabolism
  • Neoplasms, Experimental / pathology
  • Nitrogen / chemistry
  • Porosity
  • Reactive Oxygen Species / metabolism
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Substances

  • Enzymes
  • Reactive Oxygen Species
  • Carbon
  • Ferritins
  • Nitrogen