One-Pot Synthesis of Fe-Norepinephrine Nanoparticles for Synergetic Thermal-Enhanced Chemodynamic Therapy

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) is an innovative and burgeoning strategy that utilizes Fenton-Fenton-like chemistry and specific microenvironments to produce highly toxic hydroxyl radicals (^•OH), with numerous methods emerging to refine this approach. Herein, we report a coordination compound, Fe-norepinephrine nanoparticles (Fe-NE NPs), via a one-pot synthesis. The Fe-NE NPs are based on ferrous ions (Fe²⁺) and norepinephrine, which are capable of efficient Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ delivery. Once internalized by tumor cells, the released Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ exerts the Fenton reaction to specifically produce toxic ^•OH. Moreover, the internal photothermal conversion ability of Fe-NE NPs allows us to simultaneously introduce light to trigger local heat generation and then largely improve the Fenton reaction efficiency, which enables a synergetic photothermal and chemodynamic therapy to realize satisfactory <i>in vivo</i> antitumor efficiency. This proof-of-concept work offers a promising approach to developing nanomaterials and refining strategies for enhanced CDT against tumors.