A H(+)-triggered bubble-generating nanosystem for killing cancer cells

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Cancer Research

Background:

• Lysosomes are key organelles in cancer cells.
• Lysosomal membrane permeabilization is a strategy to induce cancer cell death.
• Multidrug resistance (MDR) in cancer remains a significant clinical challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel H(+)-triggered bubble-generating nanosystem (BGNS).
• To investigate the efficacy of BGNS in inducing cancer cell death via lysosomal disruption.
• To evaluate BGNS's potential in overcoming cancer multidrug resistance.

Main Methods:

• Construction of a H(+)-triggered bubble-generating nanosystem (BGNS).
• Internalization of BGNS by cancer cells (MCF-7 and MCF-7/ADR).
• Assessment of lysosomal membrane permeabilization and cytotoxicity.
• Evaluation of BGNS against multidrug-resistant cancer cells.

Main Results:

• BGNS successfully generated CO2 bubbles within the acidic environment of cancer cell lysosomes.
• The generated bubbles led to enhanced lysosomal membrane permeabilization.
• BGNS demonstrated significant cytotoxicity against MCF-7 breast cancer cells.
• BGNS effectively overcame multidrug resistance in MCF-7/ADR cells.

Conclusions:

• H(+)-triggered BGNS is a promising strategy for cancer therapy.
• BGNS-induced lysosomal disruption offers a novel approach to cancer treatment.
• The developed nanosystem shows potential for overcoming drug resistance in cancer.