Biosynthesized Calcium Peroxide Nanoparticles as a Multifunctional Platform for Liver Cancer Therapy

To overcome the limitations associated with chemically synthesized nanoparticles in cancer therapy, researchers have increasingly focused on developing nanoparticles with superior biocompatibility and prolonged tumor retention using biosynthetic methods. In this study, we first identified the presence of calcium peroxide nanoparticles (CaO2 NPs) in the blood of individuals who had ingested calcium gluconate. Furthermore, the dropwise addition of calcium gluconate to human serum resulted in the spontaneous self-assembly of CaO2 NPs. Next, following tail vein injection of fluorescently labeled CaO2 NPs into subcutaneous tumor-bearing nude mice, we observed that the nanoparticles exhibited prolonged accumulation at the tumor sites compared to other organs through visible-light imaging. Immunofluorescence staining demonstrated that CaO2 NPs co-localized with vesicular transport-associated proteins, such as PV-1 and Caveolin-1, as well as the albumin-binding-associated protein SPARC, suggesting that their transport from tumor blood vessels to the tumor site is mediated by Caveolin-1- and SPARC-dependent active transport pathways. Additionally, the analysis of various organs in normal mice injected with CaO2 NPs at concentrations significantly higher than the experimental dose showed no apparent organ damage. Hemolysis assays indicated that hemolysis occurred only at calcium concentrations of 300 µg/mL, whereas the experimental concentration remained well below this threshold with no detectable hemolytic activity. In a subcutaneous tumor-bearing nude mouse model, treatment with docetaxel-loaded CaO2 NPs showed a 68.5% reduction in tumor volume compared to free docetaxel (DTX) alone. These novel biosynthetic CaO2 NPs demonstrated excellent biocompatibility, prolonged retention at the tumor site, safety, and drug-loading capability.