Multifunctional metal-coordinated Co-assembled carrier-free nanoplatform based on dual-drugs for ferroptosis-mediated cocktail therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma growth and metastasis

Abstract

The heterogeneity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the complexity of the tumor microenvironment (TME) pose challenges to efficient drug delivery and the antitumor efficacy of combined or synergistic therapies. Herein, a metal-coordinated carrier-free nanodrug (named as USFe³⁺ LA NPs) was developed for ferroptosis-mediated multimodal synergistic anti-HCC. Natural product ursolic acid (UA) was incorporated to enhance the sensitivity of tumor cells to sorafenib (SRF). Surface decoration of cell penetration peptide and epithelial cell adhesion molecule aptamer facilitated the uptake of USFe³⁺ LA NPs by HepG2 cells. Meanwhile, Fe³⁺ ions could react with intracellular hydrogen peroxide, generating toxic hydroxyl radical (·OH) for chemodynamical therapy (CDT) and amplified ferroptosis by cystine/glutamate antiporter system (System X_c^-), which promoted the consumption of glutathione (GSH) and inhibited the expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4). Notably, these all-in-one nanodrugs could inhibit tumor metastasis and induced immunogenic cell death (ICD). Last but not least, the nanodrugs demonstrated favorable biocompatibility, augmenting the immune response against the programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) by increasing cytotoxic T cell infiltration. In vivo studies revealed significant suppression of tumor growth and distant metastasis. Overall, our work introduced a novel strategy for applications of metal-coordinated co-assembled carrier-free nano-delivery system in HCC combination therapy, especially in the realms of cancer metastasis prevention and immunotherapy.

Keywords: Chemodynamical therapy; Ferroptosis; Immunotherapy; Metal-coordinated nanoplatform; Synergistic chemotherapy.