Layered Double Hydroxide-Based PdCu_x@LDH Alloy Nanozyme for a Singlet Oxygen-Boosted Sonodynamic Therapy

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Oncology

Background:

• Redox nanozymes show promise for cancer therapy but face challenges in complex tumor microenvironments.
• Palladium nanocrystals and noble metal nanoalloys offer tunable enzymatic activity and enhanced catalytic properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize bimetallic nanoalloys (PdCu@LDH) with optimized enzymatic activity for ultrasound-improved cancer therapy.
• To investigate the multienzyme-mimicking activities and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation of PdCu@LDH under ultrasound stimulation.

Main Methods:

• Design and synthesis of PdCu@LDH bimetallic nanoalloys.
• Evaluation of singlet oxygen (¹O₂) production efficiency and selectivity.
• Assessment of oxidase (OXD) and catalase (CAT)-mimicking activities.
• Investigation of ultrasound (US) stimulation effects on nanozyme activity and ROS generation.

Main Results:

• PdCu@LDH nanoalloys efficiently produce long-lived singlet oxygen (¹O₂) for cancer therapy.
• The nanozyme exhibits surface-dependent dual-enzyme-mimicking activities (OXD and CAT).
• Ultrasound stimulation enhances these activities, leading to increased ROS generation, NADH consumption, and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Conclusions:

• PdCu@LDH nanoalloys are effective for ultrasound-improved cancer therapy by generating ROS and inducing mitochondrial dysfunction.
• This work presents a new strategy for applying nanozymes in sonodynamic therapies (SDT).