Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education & School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, P. R. China.
Department of Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N. T., Hong Kong.
Nanoscale Horiz. 2024 Mar 25;9(4):536-543. doi: 10.1039/d3nh00551h.
The use of glucose oxidase (GOx) to disrupt glucose supply has been identified as a promising strategy in cancer starvation therapy. However, independent delivery of GOx is prone to degradation upon exposure to biological conditions and may cause damage to blood vessels and normal organs during transportation. Although some carriers can protect GOx from the surrounding environment, the harsh preparation conditions may compromise its activity. Moreover, the commonly used materials often exhibit poor biocompatibility and possess certain cytotoxicity. To address this issue, we developed a gentle and efficient method based on Pickering emulsion templates to synthesize protein-based microparticles using zein as the matrix material. These microparticles have high stability and can be tailored to efficiently encapsulate biomolecules while preserving their activity. Moreover, the zein-based microparticles can be triggered to release biomolecules in tumor cells under high glutathione levels, demonstrating excellent responsiveness, biocompatibility, and low cytotoxicity. Additionally, when loaded with GOx, these protein-based microparticles effectively deprive tumor cells of nutrients and induce apoptosis by generating high levels of HO, thereby exhibiting enhanced anticancer properties.
使用葡萄糖氧化酶（GOx）来破坏葡萄糖供应已被确定为癌症饥饿疗法中很有前途的策略。然而，GOx 的独立递送在暴露于生物条件下容易降解，并在运输过程中可能对血管和正常器官造成损伤。尽管一些载体可以保护 GOx 免受周围环境的影响，但苛刻的制备条件可能会影响其活性。此外，常用的材料通常表现出较差的生物相容性和一定的细胞毒性。为了解决这个问题，我们开发了一种基于 Pickering 乳液模板的温和高效方法，使用玉米醇溶蛋白作为基质材料来合成基于蛋白质的微球。这些微球具有高稳定性，可以有效地包裹生物分子，同时保持其活性。此外，基于玉米醇溶蛋白的微球可以在高谷胱甘肽水平下触发在肿瘤细胞中释放生物分子，表现出优异的响应性、生物相容性和低细胞毒性。此外，当负载 GOx 时，这些基于蛋白质的微球通过产生高水平的 HO 有效地剥夺肿瘤细胞的营养并诱导细胞凋亡，从而表现出增强的抗癌特性。
