Microbial-Semiconductor Hybrids Enable Near Infrared-Driven Photosynthetic Hydrogen Production for Tumor-Targeted...

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Materials Science
• Immunotherapy

Background:

• Photosynthetic microbes offer a promising platform for hydrogen (H₂) delivery in antitumor therapy.
• Current limitations include poor near-infrared (NIR) responsiveness and inefficient photoelectron injection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer a microbial-semiconductor hybrid for enhanced NIR-driven photosynthetic H₂ immunotherapy.
• To improve photoelectron injection and H₂ production efficiency in Rhodopseudomonas palustris (R.P.).

Main Methods:

• Electrostatically assembling copper sulfide-loaded layered double hydroxide (LDH/CuS) nanosheets onto R.P.
• Utilizing 808 nm irradiation to activate the LDH/CuS heterojunction for electron pumping.
• Evaluating tumor colonization, H₂ production, and antitumor immune responses in vivo.

Main Results:

• The R.P.@LDH/CuS hybrid demonstrated a 6.8-fold increase in photoelectron injection and efficient H₂ production.
• Achieved high tumor targeting efficiency (73.2%) and selective conversion of lactic acid to H₂.
• Induced potent antitumor immune responses, including a 9-fold increase in CD8+ T cells and 97.8% tumor inhibition.

Conclusions:

• The engineered biohybrid system effectively utilizes NIR light for precise, targeted tumor immunotherapy.
• This approach advances the development of advanced microbial-semiconductor systems for cancer treatment.