Mitochondria-Targeted Gold Biometallization for Photoacoustically Visualized Photothermal Cancer Therapy

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Cancer Theranostics

Background:

• Subcellular biomineralization shows promise for cancer theranostics.
• Current limitations include lack of specificity, high ion concentrations, and long incubation times.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a mitochondria-targeted polymer-gold complex (TPPM-Au) for in vivo cancer treatment.
• To investigate mitochondrial biometallization for enhanced therapeutic efficacy.

Main Methods:

• Mitochondria-targeted delivery of Au³⁺ using TPP-containing TPPM-Au.
• Induction of gold nanoparticle (GNP) formation and glutathione (GSH) consumption within mitochondria.
• Utilizing GNPs for reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and photothermal therapy (PTT).

Main Results:

• TPPM-Au selectively delivered Au³⁺ to cancer cell mitochondria.
• Rapid biometallization to GNPs occurred, consuming GSH and increasing ROS.
• Demonstrated superior tumor penetration, photothermal, and photoacoustic properties.
• Effective inhibition of tumor growth was achieved.

Conclusions:

• Mitochondria-targeted gold biometallization offers a novel theranostic platform for cancer therapy.
• This approach overcomes limitations of traditional biomineralization methods.
• Provides insights into subcellularly targeted biometallization for cancer treatment.