Peroxidase-Mimicking Ir-Te Nanorods for Photoconversion-Combined Multimodal Cancer Therapy

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Materials Science
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Hybrid nanoparticles offer diverse physicochemical properties for various applications.
• Tellurium nanorods serve as sacrificial templates for synthesizing novel nanostructures.
• Combining elements in nanoparticles can lead to unique catalytic and photoresponsive behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize iridium-tellurium nanorods (IrTeNRs) using a galvanic replacement technique.
• To investigate the properties of IrTeNRs, including peroxidase-like activity and photoconversion.
• To evaluate the efficacy of IrTeNRs in in vitro and in vivo cancer therapy.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of IrTeNRs via galvanic replacement using tellurium nanorods as templates.
• Characterization of IrTeNRs' properties, including enzymatic activity and response to laser irradiation.
• Application of IrTeNRs in cancer models for therapeutic evaluation.

Main Results:

• IrTeNRs were successfully synthesized and exhibited excellent colloidal stability.
• The nanorods displayed significant peroxidase-like activity, generating reactive oxygen species.
• IrTeNRs demonstrated photoconversion capabilities, inducing cancer cell apoptosis via photothermal and photodynamic effects under specific laser wavelengths (473, 660, 808 nm).

Conclusions:

• IrTeNRs possess unique properties suitable for advanced cancer treatment modalities.
• The hybrid nanostructures enable dual-action cancer therapy through enzymatic and photo-induced mechanisms.
• IrTeNRs represent a promising platform for developing novel therapeutic strategies against cancer.