Hollow NiAl(OH)_x Nanocapsules to Enable Effective Glucose Oxidase Delivery and Synergistic Therapy

Cellular starvation induced by glucose oxidase (GOx) had been extensively explored as a potential approach for tumor therapy. However, the therapeutic efficacy suffers daunting challenges due to the unsatisfactory intracellular transportation of GOx molecules. Herein for the first time, hydroxide nanoparticles with unique hollow microstructure (denoted as H-NiAl(OH)) were designed and synthesized for GOx delivery. In this system, despite its intrinsic degradation properties in acidic tumor microenvironment, Ni²⁺ ions released during degradation may catalyze a Fenton reaction to induce considerable production of cytotoxic hydroxyl radicals (OH). The cavity of hollow nanocapsules provides large surface area, and favors GOx capsulation and delivery. The findings indicate the intracellular glucose can be effectively consumed by GOx transported, and the reaction products consisting of acid and H₂O₂ facilitate the OH induction of nanocapsules in a synergistic manner. Both in vitro and in vivo antitumor properties have been consequently achieved by H-NiAl(OH)/GOx systems. This study offering catalytic nanocapsules based on Ni²⁺ ions may spark a series of follow-on explorations in constructing drug delivery and therapeutic systems for synergistic tumor treatment.