Wheel-shaped polyoxometalates as nanozymes for autophagy-augmented and phototherapy-involved cancer nanotherapy

• Published in: Journal of pharmaceutical analysis Vol. 14; no. 12; pp. 101018 - 4
• Main Authors: Miao, Jun, Fan, Xiaofeng, Shao, Yining, Zhang, Yalei, Chen, Cailing, Tian, Hongrui, Li, Shujun, Zheng, Zhiping, Xu, Xiaoqian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: China Elsevier B.V 01.12.2024; Xi'an Jiaotong University, Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis; Xi'an Jiaotong University; Elsevier
• Subjects: Antitumor agents; Autophagy; Cancer therapies; Cell death; Cytotoxicity; Genes; Growth factors; Kinases; Lasers; Light therapy; Microscopy; Phosphorylation; Photodynamic therapy; Phototherapy; Polymerase chain reaction; Radiation; Redox reactions; Short Communication; Tumors
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpha.2024.101018
• ISSN: 2095-1779; 2214-0883

Polyoxometalates (POMs) are molecular metal-oxide clusters with precise chemical composition and architecture. Besides their bioactivities, electron-rich POMs have shown potential for enhancing synergistic therapy, such as photothermal therapy (PTT), photodynamic therapy (PDT), and chemo-dynamic therapy (CDT), through near-infrared region (NIR) absorption and redox reactions. However, the role of POM-induced autophagy has been underemphasized so far, with only sporadic instances documented in the literature. The wheel-shaped POMs synthesized in this study exhibit higher stability compared to post-reducing POMs, thanks to their one-step synthesis approach. Therefore, we propose using POMs to induce pro-death autophagy in cancer cells under different therapeutic modalities for maximum tumor cell eradication. Our experiments, both in vitro and in vivo, confirm that Mo40 and Mo54 clusters effectively induce cell death through autophagy, with NIR radiation further enhancing their performance. Interestingly, the Mo40 cluster shows slightly superior anti-tumor activity compared to Mo54. Furthermore, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array analysis reveals differences in gene expressions induced by Mo40 and Mo54 clusters, shedding light on potential autophagy pathways. These findings provide promising insights into innovative strategies for cancer treatment.