Catalytic nanotherapeutics with cancer cell membrane and chitosan-coated Cu/Pt nanoparticles for gastric cancer precision therapy

Gastric cancer remains a major global health challenge, underscoring the need for highly effective and precisely targeted therapies. This study presents a novel biomimetic nanoplatform comprising cancer cell membrane-coated chitosan-stabilized Cu/Pt nanoparticles (CCM@Ch-Cu/PtNPs), designed to enhance tumor specificity and therapeutic efficacy. We characterized the nanocomposite using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), confirming its bimetallic architecture featuring Cu-rich and Pt-rich surface domains. In vitro, treatment with CCM@Ch-Cu/PtNPs (75 µg/mL) markedly decreased viability and colony formation in AGS and HGC gastric cancer cell lines, induced apoptosis, and triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, indicating potent cytotoxic activity and disruption of oncogenic pathways. In vivo, systemic administration of CCM@Ch-Cu/PtNPs in a murine gastric cancer model resulted in preferential tumor accumulation, substantial tumor growth inhibition, and prolonged survival, all achieved without detectable organ toxicity. These results support the potential of CCM@Ch-Cu/PtNPs as a theranostic nanomedicine platform for targeted gastric cancer therapy.