Sieging tumor cells via an amorphous ferric coordination polymer

Abstract

Metastasis is one of the main reasons for cancer treatment failure. Unfortunately, most treatment approaches inevitably destroy the extracellular matrix (ECM) during tumor cell elimination, thereby augmenting metastasis risk. Herein, we propose a “sieging tumor cells” strategy based on ferric coordination polymers (FeCPs), which dedicates to anchoring tumor cells through ECM consolidation and eliminating them in the tumoral regions. Given the weak coordination interaction and amorphous structure of FeCPs, the acidic tumor microenvironment facilitates their disintegration to release salicylic acid (SA), 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalic acid (DHTA) and Fe3+ ions. The released SA inhibits heparinase activity to consolidate ECM, meanwhile Fe-mediated chemodynamic therapy (CDT) is enhanced by DHTA due to its fast electron transport behavior, ultimately inhibiting tumor growth and metastasis. The results of orthotopic 4T1 breast tumors model indicate that the lung metastasis reduced about 90% and survival rate improved 70% after FeCPs treatment. Overall, this “sieging tumor cells” strategy provides an emerging approach for the treatment of malignant tumors by consolidating ECM combined with self-enhanced CDT.