Oxygen-Evolving Radiotherapy-Radiodynamic Therapy Synergized with NO Gas Therapy by Cerium-Based Rare-Earth...

The efficacy of traditional radiotherapy (RT) has been severely limited by its significant side effects, as well as tumor hypoxia. Here, the nanoscale cerium (Ce)-based metaloxo clusters (Ce(IV)₆)-porphyrin (meso-tetra (4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin, TCPP) framework loaded with L-arginine (LA) (denoted as LA@Ce(IV)₆-TCPP) is developed to serve as a multifarious radio enhancer to heighten X-ray absorption and energy transfer accompanied by O₂/NO generation for hypoxia-improved RT-radiodynamic therapy (RDT) and gas therapy. Within tumor cells, LA@Ce(IV)₆-TCPP will first react with endogenous H₂O₂ and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) to produce O₂ and NO to respectively increase the oxygen supply and reduce oxygen consumption, thus alleviating tumor hypoxia. Then upon X-ray irradiation, LA@Ce(IV)₆-TCPP can significantly enhance hydroxyl radical (•OH) generation from Ce(IV)₆ metaloxo clusters for RT and synchronously facilitate singlet oxygen (¹O₂) generation from adjacently-coordinated TCPP for RDT. Moreover, both the •OH and ¹O₂ can further react with NO to generate more toxic peroxynitrite anions (ONOO^-) to inhibit tumor growth for gas therapy. Benefitting from the alleviation of tumor hypoxia and intensified RT-RDT synergized with gas therapy, LA@Ce(IV)₆-TCPP elicited superior anticancer outcomes. This work provides an effective RT strategy by using low doses of X-rays to intensify tumor suppression yet reduce systemic toxicity.