Endogenous Hydrogen Sulfide-Triggered MOF-Based Nanoenzyme for Synergic Cancer Therapy

The developing nanoparticle therapeutic agents triggered by tumor microenvironment are a feasible strategy for the substantial elevation of accuracy of diagnosis and the reduction of side effects in cancer treatments. Dysregulated H₂S production from the enzyme system of overexpressed cystathionine β-synthase has long been considered to act as an autocrine and paracrine factor for the tumor growth and proliferation of colon cancer. Herein, for the first time, an endogenous H₂S-activated copper metal-organic framework (Cu-MOF; HKUST-1) nanoenzyme has been demonstrated to synergistically mediate H₂S-activated near-infrared photothermal therapy and chemodynamic therapy in the effective treatment of colon cancer. This endogenous biomarker-triggered "turn-on" strategy to generate therapeutic agents in situ could largely simplify the constitution of nanomedicine by avoiding the cargo introduction and thus supply great promise for the precise treatments of colon cancer.

Keywords: chemodynamic therapy; colon cancer; hydrogen sulfide-triggered photothermal therapy; metal−organic frameworks; nanoenzyme.