A Snakeberry‐Inspired Photocatalytic Nanoreactor Activates Endogenous Ca <sup>2+</sup> Store for Ca <sup>2+</sup> Overload‐Mediated Cancer Therapy
Activation of ubiquitously expressed inositol trisphosphate receptors (IP<sub>3</sub>Rs) represents a compelling Ca<sup>2+</sup> overload strategy for cancer treatment, featuring intrinsic biosafety, a steep 15 000-fold Ca<sup>2+</sup> flux gradient, and pan-cancer applicability. However, it remains underexplored due to challenges in developing on-demand and sustainable activation modalities that ensure treatment reproducibility while preventing off-target toxicity. This study presents a novel snakeberry-like nanoreactor (APF@ZIF-67) with a porous photocatalytic core for H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> generation via a direct one-step 2e<sup>-</sup> oxygen reduction reaction and ZIF-67 protrusions for <sup>•</sup>OH production. H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> oxidizes IP<sub>3</sub>R cysteine residue to release endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca<sup>2+</sup>, which rapidly accumulates in mitochondria to cause mitochondrial Ca<sup>2+</sup> overload. Simultaneously, Ca<sup>2+</sup> dyshomeostasis and oxidative stress co-activate ER stress and subsequent pro-apoptotic unfolded protein response pathway. ER stress and mitochondrial damage activate inflammatory response and inflammation-driven senescence, eventually leading to cell apoptosis. Importantly, damaged mitochondrial transfer between tumor cells induces bystander effects and amplifies therapeutic effects. Moreover, dark brown APF@ZIF-67 enables mild photothermal therapy, synergistically enhancing tumor ablation. In vivo, APF@ZIF-67 efficiently accumulates in tumors and achieves near-complete eradication without systemic toxicity. Collectively, this study proposes a novel pan-cancer endogenous Ca<sup>2+</sup> overload-mediated therapy via photocatalytic activation of tumor-inherent Ca<sup>2+</sup> channels.
Authors
- Dingcheng Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5636-4976)
- Zherui Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3385-6161)
- Ting Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6532-1110)
- Junqiu Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1608-7908)
- Zhaowei Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1047-6988)
- Huijie Yan
- Guolong Sun
- Yuanhong Ma
- Daquan Yu
Institutions
- Hangzhou Normal University (CN)
- Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital (CN)
- Zhejiang University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Small
- Published
- 2025-07-30
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202506648
- Primary Topic
- Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China