Radiation‐Triggered Catalytic Decaging in Living Mice
Precise spatiotemporal control over chemical reactivity in living systems remains a formidable challenge, especially within deep tissues where light-based methods suffer from limited penetration. Here, we present a γ-radiation-mediated catalytic decaging (γ-RCD) strategy that harnesses hydrated electrons generated during low-dose γ-radiation to activate palladium catalysts, thereby initiating a catalytic cycle for the efficient release of functional molecules. Unlike conventional radiation-triggered decaging, which relies on primary radiolytic species and suffers from inherently low yields, γ-RCD achieves catalytic amplification, significantly enhancing radiochemical efficiency with G-values up to 25.8-surpassing existing radiation chemistries by at least 20-fold. We demonstrate the versatility of γ-RCD in remotely activating fluorophores, as well as prodrugs with minimal radiation input. The selective activation of caged bioactive compounds in tumor-bearing mice leads to potent antitumor effects and the translational potential of the γ-RCD strategy. By integrating catalytic amplification with clinically relevant γ-radiation, γ-RCD opens a new avenue for precision medicine, functional biomaterials, and radiation-responsive therapeutics.
Authors
- Xinyuan Fan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3099-8495)
- Wei Cao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5048-7991)
- Xianrui Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2036-8764)
- Peng R. Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0402-7417)
- Lixia Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6354-9349)
- Sijie Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-0713-9664)
- Ruotong Deng
- Jian Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-3611-4162)
- Hanjie Zhu
Institutions
- Peking University (CN)
- Beijing Normal University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Angewandte Chemie International Edition
- Published
- 2026-10-30
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.6330931
- Primary Topic
- Radical Photochemical Reactions
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Beijing Normal University
- Beijing University of Chemical Technology
- National Key Research and Development Program of China
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities