Combined Photothermal/Combination Chemotherapeutic Approach Using Zif-8-Supported Artesunate and Gold Nanorods

Abstract

Tumors pose a significant threat to human wellbeing, presenting substantial risks to lives. Conventional approaches to cancer treatment exhibit limited efficacy in eliminating the disease, leading to undesirable outcomes and an increased likelihood of disease relapse. The application of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy has recently shown an increasing trend, owing to their limited negative effects and exceptional specificity. Chemotherapy can potentially induce a rapid reduction in tumors during initial treatment. However, it carries the risk of inducing drug resistance, ultimately contributing to tumor recurrence. Combination therapy offers more advantages, than single chemotherapy. Photothermotherapy and photodynamic therapy have gained significant public interest as innovative approaches to medical treatment. Nonetheless, gold nanorods demonstrate notable potential as exceptional photothermal agents in photothermal therapy. An acidic microenvironment is commonly found in tumors. With this factor considered, a tumor-specific cleavable material is used to encapsulate the drug for facilitating controlled release exclusively within the tumor microenvironment. The combination of dequalinium chloride and artesunate increases its selectivity toward mitochondria, enhancing its effectiveness as a chemotherapy agent. The gold nanorods were successfully employed to encapsulate the drug with ZIF-8, enabling precise transportation to the tumor location while preserving its stability. The therapeutic effectiveness of the treatment on mouse models with NCI-H1299 tumors was highly satisfactory, also demonstrating high biological safety, revealing its potential capabilities in cancer therapy. It provides a research basis for nanomaterials to inhibit tumors.