Near Infrared‐Activatable Nanomodulator Enabling Self‐Amplifying Calcium Overload and Oxidative Stress for Precision Cancer Therapy
Calcium interference therapy (CIT) is a promising cancer therapeutic strategy, but its efficacy is limited by intrinsic cellular calcium regulation. To address this limitation, herein, a near-infrared (NIR)-responsive nanoplatform, UC@COFs@CaO<sub>2</sub>-HA/PAG/ICG (UCCPI), integrating dual-amplified CIT with photodynamic therapy (PDT) is engineered to enhance therapeutic outcomes. The core-shell upconversion nanoparticle-engineered covalent organic framework nanocomposites (UC@COFs) serve as both pH-dependent fluorescent probes for cancer cell imaging and drug-delivery carriers co-loading photoacid generators (PAG) and photosensitizer indocyanine green (ICG). The embedded upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) convert 980 nm NIR light into visible emissions, enabling spatiotemporal PAG activation for localized H<sup>+</sup> release and overcoming UV/visible light depth limitations. Surface-modified hyaluronic acid (HA)-functionalized CaO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles provide pH-responsive Ca<sup>2+</sup>/O<sub>2</sub> reservoirs, facilitating CD44-mediated tumor targeting and PDT-supportive hypoxia alleviation. Crucially, NIR-triggered H<sup>+</sup> generation simultaneously drives dual calcium amplification through accelerated CaO<sub>2</sub> decomposition and potentiated acid-sensitive ion channel-mediated Ca<sup>2+</sup> influx, while fueling ICG-mediated ROS generation via O<sub>2</sub> supply for PDT. These interconnected processes synergistically amplify mitochondrial calcium overload and oxidative damage. Collectively, UCCPI demonstrates excellent biocompatibility, precise tumor targeting, and self-amplifying therapeutic effects both in vitro and in vivo. This work presents a tumor microenvironment-targeted strategy to potentiate mitochondrial dysfunction through integrated ion interference and oxidative stress mechanisms.
Authors
- Lei Zheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2576-8780)
- Haiyan Wu
- Xiaoyu Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6800-1275)
- Meng Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8348-6768)
- Hui Tian (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9683-8830)
- Haozhe Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2298-9361)
- Jie Lv (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8655-4992)
- Chunzhe Xu
- Yanhua Zhong
Institutions
- Hebei Medical University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Healthcare Materials
- Published
- 2025-11-02
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202503914
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.67