Magnetically Driven Self‐Degrading Zinc‐Containing Cystine Microrobots for Treatment of Prostate Cancer

Abstract

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed tumor disease in men, and its treatment is still a big challenge in standard oncology therapy. Magnetically actuated microrobots represent the most promising technology in modern nanomedicine, offering the advantage of wireless guidance, effective cell penetration, and non‐invasive actuation. Here, new biodegradable magnetically actuated zinc/cystine‐based microrobots for in situ treatment of prostate cancer cells are reported. The microrobots are fabricated via metal‐ion‐mediated self‐assembly of the amino acid cystine encapsulating superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) during the synthesis, which allows their precise manipulation by a rotating magnetic field. Inside the cells, the typical enzymatic reducing environment favors the disassembly of the aminoacidic chemical structure due to the cleavage of cystine disulfide bonds and disruption of non‐covalent interactions with the metal ions, as demonstrated by in vitro experiments with reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). In this way, the cystine microrobots served for site‐specific delivery of Zn2+ ions responsible for tumor cell killing via a “Trojan horse effect”. This work presents a new concept of cell internalization exploiting robotic systems’ self‐degradation, proposing a step forward in non‐invasive cancer therapy.

Enhancing Fractionated Cancer Therapy: A Triple-Anthracene Photosensitizer Unleashes Long-Persistent Photodynamic and Luminous Efficacy

“…Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) plays a crucial role in cellular redox reactions, serving as a key electron donor in the energy production pathway. Its oxidation state directly influences numerous metabolic processes. , Our results showed that TAD-NPs could oxidize NADH, as evidenced by the significant decrease in the characteristic absorption peak of NADH within 10 min of light irradiation, both in normoxic and hypoxic conditions (Figures f,g, S5, and S6). Hemin, an iron-containing porphyrin, is integral to various biological functions, such as oxygen transport, gene expression regulation, and enzymatic catalysis.…”

In vivoapplications of micro/nanorobots

“…especially attractive for biomedical applications requiring precisely controlled motion in deep tissues. [52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59] Additionally, acoustic waves can produce robust propulsion even in dynamic fluids by generating resonance or complex acoustic patterns. 3,21,60 Similar to magnetic fields, acoustic waves are appealing for applications in deep tissues while minimally affecting the surrounding environment.…”

An AND Logic Gate for Magnetic‐Resonance‐Imaging‐Guided Ferroptosis Therapy of Tumors

“…[35][36][37][38] To further enhance the MRI efficiency and/or the ferroptosis therapy efficacy of IO, TME-responsive IO assemblies have been widely developed to enhance T 2 -T 1 signal conversion and/or targeted delivery of ferroptosis inducers. [39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47] Nonetheless, the reported single conditional response is not sensitive enough, resulting in relatively poor efficacy of IO assemblies for tumor diagnosis and/or therapy.…”