Bioinspired Copper Single-Atom Catalysts for Tumor Parallel Catalytic Therapy.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are crucial for tumor therapy via biomolecule oxidation.
• Current ROS-based therapies have limitations in catalyzing both hydrogen peroxide and oxygen concurrently, reducing efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel catalyst for enhanced ROS generation in tumor microenvironments.
• To investigate a bioinspired hollow N-doped carbon sphere doped with single-atom copper (Cu-HNCS) for synergistic ROS production.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of hollow N-doped carbon spheres doped with single-atom copper (Cu-HNCS).
• Evaluation of Cu-HNCS catalytic activity in decomposing hydrogen peroxide and oxygen to generate ROS (superoxide ion and hydroxyl radical).
• Assessment of tumor growth inhibition and investigation of catalytic mechanisms using experimental results and density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Main Results:

• Cu-HNCS effectively catalyzes the decomposition of both H2O2 and O2 to generate superoxide ion (O2•−) and hydroxyl radical (•OH) in acidic tumor microenvironments.
• The Fenton reaction turnover frequency of Cu species in Cu-HNCS is approximately 5000 times higher than that of Fe in commercial Fe3O4 nanoparticles.
• Cu-HNCS demonstrated a significantly enhanced tumor growth inhibitory effect without external energy input.

Conclusions:

• Single-atom copper in Cu-HNCS exhibits exceptionally high catalytic activity, paving the way for next-generation Fenton catalysts.
• Cu-HNCS offers an effective paradigm for parallel catalytic tumor therapy, leading to considerably enhanced therapeutic efficacy.
• This bioinspired catalyst holds promise for improving ROS-based cancer treatment strategies.