MOF-Based Single-Atom and Metal Cluster Catalysts by Room-Temperature Synthesis for Tumor Therapy

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are widely used as substrates for creating single-atom catalysts due to their abundance of ligands, facilitating enzyme-like activity for biomedical applications. However, the high-temperature calcination process for single-atom catalysts limits economical, efficient, and large-scale synthesis. Here, a simple room-temperature synthesis of MOF-based single-atom and metal cluster catalysts is presented for tumor therapy. Fe/MOF is obtained through a coordination reaction at room temperature, while Au/MOF is synthesized from Au³⁺/MOF by introducing a reducing agent. Au/MOF effectively generates hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) from glucose, outperforming Au³⁺/MOF, and Fe/MOF subsequently produced hydroxyl radicals (•OH) by decomposing the generated H₂O₂via accelerated peroxidase-like activity in an acidic environment. In vitro and in vivo studies confirm a significantly enhanced cancer eradication ability compared to the PBS-treated group by combining cascade enzymatic activity, destruction of oxidative homeostasis, and excessive mitochondrial-mediated lipid peroxidation. The novel synthesis process of MOF-based metal single-atom catalysts establishes a new paradigm for fabricating effective enzyme-like nanomaterials for multimodal tumor therapy.