A tumor microenvironment-responsive Co/ZIF-8/ICG/Pt nanoplatform for chemodynamic and enhanced photodynamic antitumor therapy

Abstract

Hypoxia and the overexpression of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in the tumor microenvironment (TME) are conducive to cancer cell proliferation, which greatly hinders cancer treatment. Here, we design a novel TME-responsive therapeutic nanoplatform Co/ZIF-8/ICG/Pt (CZIP) to achieve chemodynamic therapy (CDT) and enhanced photodynamic therapy (PDT). In this nanoplatform, under near-infrared light (NIR) irradiation, the photosensitizer indocyanine green (ICG) can generate singlet oxygen (¹O₂) for cancer cell apoptosis. Meanwhile, overexpressed H₂O₂ in the TME could be catalyzed to generate O₂ by the loaded Pt to relieve tumor hypoxia and promote the PDT-induced ¹O₂ production. In addition, the doped Co²⁺ could react with H₂O₂ to produce hydroxyl radicals (˙OH) for CDT. The multifunctional nanoplatform CZIP showed high biosafety and a good antitumor effect, which would provide a new route for cancer therapy.