Research

Life Sciences & Biotechnology

Title :

Fabricating NIR Responsive Multifunctional Cascade Nanocatalyst (MoS₂/Fe/Au/TA/GOx/FA) for Synergetic Chemodynamic and Photothermal Therapy

Area of research :

Life Sciences & Biotechnology

Principal Investigator :

Dr. Sivaselvam S, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute For Medical Sciences & Technology, Kerala

Timeline Start Year :

2023

Timeline End Year :

2025

Contact info :

Details

Executive Summary :

Cancer poses a significant threat to human health, with increasing prevalence and mortality rates worldwide. Common treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. However, the mild acidic conditions in tumor microenvironments (TME) limit the response to efficient and selective tumor therapy. Recently, nanocatalyst-mediated Chemodynamic (CDT) and Photothermal therapy (PTT) have emerged as a new therapeutic option for cancer treatment. CDT converts endogenous H₂O₂ produced in the TME to highly cytotoxic hydroxyl radicles (-OH) through the Fenton reaction. Compared to conventional cancer treatment, CDT offers advantages such as endogenous stimuli activation and highly selective therapeutic efficiency. However, its effectiveness is hindered by low H₂O₂ concentration in TME and slow electron transfer from Fe3+ to Fe2+, which limits ROS production efficacy. To overcome these limitations, this study focuses on developing a multifunctional nanocatalyst (MoS₂/Fe/Au/GOx) that exhibits both CDT and PTT properties. The enzyme glucose oxidase (GOx) is functionalized over the nanocatalyst to improve the in-situ concentration of H₂O₂ endogenously. GOx generates H₂O₂ by oxidizing intratumoral glucose, enhancing the endogenous H₂O₂ level and causing starvation therapy. The study uses a moderate reducing agent Tannic acid (TA), non-toxic and catalytically active only in mild acidic pH, showing tumor specificity without harming normal cells. The proposed nanocatalyst also has intrinsic PTT property, converting NIR light into heat, further accelerating CDT efficiency. This study evaluates the synergistic efficiency of CDT and PTT in tuber ablation.

Organizations involved