Metal-rich cascade nanosystem for dual-pathway ferroptosis resistance regulation and photothermal effect for efficient tumor combination therapy

Abstract

Despite the therapeutic response of ferroptosis in various tumors, ferroptosis resistance has been found in numerous studies, significantly hindering the progress of ferroptosis anti-tumor therapy. Herein, we propose a metal-rich cascade nanosystem (Simvastatin-HMPB-Mn@GOx) combined with the dual-pathway regulation of ferroptosis resistance and photothermal therapy for efficient tumor combination therapy. The manganese-bonded hollow mesoporous Prussian blue (HMPB-Mn) serves as the photothermal agent and metal donor, and dissociates multivalent metal ions Mn²⁺, Fe³⁺ and Fe²⁺ to consume glutathione and amplify the Fenton reaction. Glucose oxidase (GOx) absorbed serves as the converter to provide hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) for the cascade Fenton reaction, causing a high burst of hydroxyl radicals (˙OH) and lipid peroxidation. Simvastatin innovatively acts as a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) inhibitor to decrease the expression of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), eventually defeating ferroptosis resistance. The nanosystem acted in both classical and non-classical ferroptosis pathways and showed significant ferroptosis- and hyperthermia-induced anti-tumor efficacy both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, this study offers a promising way for ferroptosis and phototherapy to achieve complete tumor regression.