Sulfur Vacancy‐Enriched Cu <sub>4</sub> SnS <sub>4−x</sub> Nanosheets Enable Synergistic Cuproptosis, Photothermoelectric Catalytic and Immunotherapy

ABSTRACT Photothermoelectric catalytic therapy (PTECT) faces challenges like restricted thermoelectric activity and tumor recurrence. In this study, we introduce a defect engineering strategy to synthesize sulfur vacancies (S v ) enriched Cu 4 SnS 4−x nanosheets with promising thermoelectric properties, followed by loading small‐molecule inhibitor NLG919. Spherical aberration corrected transmission electron microscopy and X‐ray absorption fine structure reveal the fine structural characteristics of S v , which make the nanosheets possess an ultra‐high photothermal conversion efficiency of 64.7% under 808 nm laser irradiation. This generates a localized temperature gradient that induces an internal electric field, which enhances carrier separation, boosts peroxidase‐ and catalase‐like activities, and produces substantial amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS), enabling cooperative PTECT and multi‐enzymatic catalytic therapy. Density functional theory calculations show that S v reduces the thermal conductivity, thus enhancing the figure of merit value and the PTECT effect. Accumulation of Cu ions, ROS, and heat triggers cuproptosis, mitochondrial apoptosis, and endoplasmic reticulum‐based immunogenic cell death. The released NLG919 disrupts the IDO‐induced Trp/Kyn metabolic pathway, reversing the tumor immune suppressive microenvironment. This integrated approach achieves high efficiency (96%) and long‐term anticancer efficacy. These findings may provide valuable insights for advancing thermoelectric materials in tumor therapy.

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Publication Details

Journal
Angewandte Chemie
Published
2026-06-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.1499416
Primary Topic
Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Sulfur Vacancy‐Enriched Cu 4 SnS 4−x Nanosheets Enable Synergistic Cuproptosis, Photothermoelectric Catalytic and Immunotherapy

Meiqi Yang, Zhiyu Zhao, Weifan Yan, Shili Gai et al.
Angewandte Chemie
Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics
article

Sulfur Vacancy‐Enriched Cu 4 SnS 4−x Nanosheets Enable Synergistic Cuproptosis, Photothermoelectric Catalytic and Immunotherapy

Meiqi Yang, Zhiyu Zhao, Weifan Yan, Shili Gai, Pengyu Zang, Ying Xie, Jun Lin, Yanping Tang, L Yang, Chenghao Yu, Haijiang Gong
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Photothermoelectric catalytic therapy (PTECT) faces challenges like restricted thermoelectric activity and tumor recurrence. In this study, we introduce a defect engineering strategy to synthesize sulfur vacancies (S v ) enriched Cu 4 SnS 4−x nanosheets with promising thermoelectric properties, followed by loading small‐molecule inhibitor NLG919. Spherical aberration corrected transmission electron microscopy and X‐ray absorption fine structure reveal the fine structural characteristics of S v , which make the nanosheets possess an ultra‐high photothermal conversion efficiency of 64.7% under 808 nm laser irradiation. This generates a localized temperature gradient that induces an internal electric field, which enhances carrier separation, boosts peroxidase‐ and catalase‐like activities, and produces substantial amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS), enabling cooperative PTECT and multi‐enzymatic catalytic therapy. Density functional theory calculations show that S v reduces the thermal conductivity, thus enhancing the figure of merit value and the PTECT effect. Accumulation of Cu ions, ROS, and heat triggers cuproptosis, mitochondrial apoptosis, and endoplasmic reticulum‐based immunogenic cell death. The released NLG919 disrupts the IDO‐induced Trp/Kyn metabolic pathway, reversing the tumor immune suppressive microenvironment. This integrated approach achieves high efficiency (96%) and long‐term anticancer efficacy. These findings may provide valuable insights for advancing thermoelectric materials in tumor therapy.

Angewandte Chemie
Harbin Engineering University (CN), Harbin Medical University (CN), Guangxi Medical University (CN), Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry (CN), Changchun University of Chinese Medicine (CN), First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University (CN), Heilongjiang University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province
Openalex Percentile: Top 13%
Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics
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