Anionic Hofmeister Effect Differentiated Subcellular Distributions of pH‐Responsive Metal–Organic Cages for Tumor Photodynamic Immunotherapy

Abstract The precise control of subcellular distribution offers significant advantages for advancing the understanding of cellular biology and targeted theranostics strategies. Herein, we report anionic Hofmeister effect triggered allostery of pH‐responsive metal–organic cage MOC‐68, which regulates the subcellular distributions with the salting‐out MOC‐68‐BF 4 exhibiting preferential cell membrane anchoring, while the salting‐in MOC‐68‐Cl demonstrating more endocytosis for lysosome targeting. Owing to the integration of multi‐functionalities of protonating imidazole moieties, conformationally adaptive amine vertices, and microsecond luminescent lifetimes into a nanocage, these MOCs show pH‐responsive singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) generation through energy transfer pathways, and achieve microenvironment‐programmed photodynamic precision by anchoring MOC‐68‐BF 4 to near‐neutral cell membranes whereas enriching MOC‐68‐Cl in acidic lysosomes, which drives spatially resolved 1 O 2 generation gradients via protonation‐optimized metal‐to‐ligand charge transfer. Moreover, MOC‐68‐Cl achieves superior photocytotoxicity through PANoptosis‐mediated immunogenic cell death, driving primary tumor ablation via localized 1 O 2 burst while systemically activating T cell‐dependent adaptive immunity to concurrently suppress tumor progression and inhibit lung metastasis. This work highlights the potential of anion‐mediated biological behaviors of MOCs, providing a way to advance nanocage biomedicine for future precision theranostic applications.

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Publication Details

Journal
Angewandte Chemie
Published
2025-11-02
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.202515058
Primary Topic
Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics
Type
article
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article

Anionic Hofmeister Effect Differentiated Subcellular Distributions of pH‐Responsive Metal–Organic Cages for Tumor Photodynamic Immunotherapy

Cheng‐Yong Su, Mei Ling Pan, Yu Zhang, Weichun Li et al.
Angewandte Chemie
Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics
article

Anionic Hofmeister Effect Differentiated Subcellular Distributions of pH‐Responsive Metal–Organic Cages for Tumor Photodynamic Immunotherapy

Cheng‐Yong Su, Mei Ling Pan, Yu Zhang, Weichun Li, Yu‐Lin Lu, Xiaodong Zhang, Yaping Wang, Shao‐Qi Guan
article en

Abstract

Abstract The precise control of subcellular distribution offers significant advantages for advancing the understanding of cellular biology and targeted theranostics strategies. Herein, we report anionic Hofmeister effect triggered allostery of pH‐responsive metal–organic cage MOC‐68, which regulates the subcellular distributions with the salting‐out MOC‐68‐BF 4 exhibiting preferential cell membrane anchoring, while the salting‐in MOC‐68‐Cl demonstrating more endocytosis for lysosome targeting. Owing to the integration of multi‐functionalities of protonating imidazole moieties, conformationally adaptive amine vertices, and microsecond luminescent lifetimes into a nanocage, these MOCs show pH‐responsive singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) generation through energy transfer pathways, and achieve microenvironment‐programmed photodynamic precision by anchoring MOC‐68‐BF 4 to near‐neutral cell membranes whereas enriching MOC‐68‐Cl in acidic lysosomes, which drives spatially resolved 1 O 2 generation gradients via protonation‐optimized metal‐to‐ligand charge transfer. Moreover, MOC‐68‐Cl achieves superior photocytotoxicity through PANoptosis‐mediated immunogenic cell death, driving primary tumor ablation via localized 1 O 2 burst while systemically activating T cell‐dependent adaptive immunity to concurrently suppress tumor progression and inhibit lung metastasis. This work highlights the potential of anion‐mediated biological behaviors of MOCs, providing a way to advance nanocage biomedicine for future precision theranostic applications.

Angewandte ChemieVol. 138(1)
Sun Yat-sen University (CN), Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital (CN), Zero to Three (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 69%
Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics
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