Self-engineered binary nanoassembly enabling closed-loop glutathione depletion-amplified tumor ferroptosis

Abstract

Ferroptosis has emerged as a promising target for anticancer treatment, comprising iron-dependent lipid peroxidation and excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species. Given that glutathione (GSH) overproduced in tumor cells antagonizes the cellular oxidation system, the reduction of GSH production has been extensively explored to induce ferroptosis. However, reducing GSH production alone is insufficient to trigger an intense lipid peroxidation storm. It is highly desirable to achieve systemic GSH depletion through simultaneous production and consumption intervention. Herein, we propose a bidirectional blockage strategy for closed-loop GSH depletion-amplified tumor ferroptosis. Sorafenib (Sor) and gambogic acid (GA) were elaborately fabricated as a self-engineered carrier-free nanoassembly without any nanocarrier materials. The PEGylated dual-drug nanoassembly enables favorable co-delivery and tumor-specific release of Sor and GA. Notably, a closed-loop GSH depletion is observed as a result of a Sor-induced decrease in GSH production and GA-accelerated GSH consumption in vitro and in vivo. As expected, this uniquely engineered dual-drug nanoassembly demonstrates vigorous antitumor activity in 4T1 breast tumor-bearing mice. This study presents a novel nanotherapeutic modality for ferroptosis-driven cancer treatment.