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An iodide-containing covalent organic framework for enhanced radiotherapy
Le-Le Zhou1, Qun Guan1, Wei Zhou2
1College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Functionalized Probes for Chemical Imaging in Universities of Shandong, Key Laboratory of Molecular and Nano Probes, Ministry of Education, Shandong Normal University Jinan 250014 China yubindong@sdnu.edu.cn.
Metal-free covalent organic frameworks (COFs) offer a novel approach to cancer radiotherapy. This new iodide-containing COF enhances radiation therapy effectiveness and inhibits tumor growth by inducing ferroptosis.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanomedicine
- Radiotherapy
Background:
- Metal-free radiosensitizers, especially iodine compounds, enhance radiotherapy due to high X-ray absorption and low toxicity.
- Conventional iodine agents suffer from short circulation times and poor tumor retention, limiting their clinical use.
- Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are biocompatible porous materials with potential in nanomedicine but are underexplored for radiosensitization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a novel metal-free, iodide-containing covalent organic framework (COF) as a radiosensitizer for enhanced cancer radiotherapy.
- To investigate the mechanism of action of the synthesized COF in enhancing radiotherapy and inhibiting tumor growth.
Main Methods:
- Room-temperature synthesis of an iodide-containing cationic COF using a three-component, one-pot reaction.
- Evaluation of the COF as a tumor radiosensitizer in preclinical models.
- Assessment of radiation-induced DNA double-strand breakage and lipid peroxidation.
- Investigation of COF-induced ferroptosis for colorectal tumor growth inhibition.
Main Results:
- Successfully synthesized an iodide-containing cationic COF (TDI-COF) at room temperature.
- TDI-COF demonstrated radiosensitizing effects, enhancing radiotherapy efficacy.
- The COF promoted radiation-induced DNA damage and lipid peroxidation.
- TDI-COF inhibited colorectal tumor growth by inducing ferroptosis.
Conclusions:
- Metal-free COFs show significant potential as effective radiosensitizers for cancer therapy.
- The developed TDI-COF offers a promising strategy for enhancing radiotherapy and overcoming limitations of conventional iodine agents.
- This study opens new avenues for COF applications in nanomedicine and oncology.
