A GSH-consuming polymeric nanoparticles drives ferroptosis amplification and combines chemotherapy to amplify breast cancer treatment

Abstract Currently, given variations in the abnormal tumor microenvironment (TME), the significant progress has been made in the treatment of breast cancer (BC) based on TME-responsive nanosystems-mediated ferroptosis. Actually, due to inherent deficiencies such as the limited efficacy of Fe-induced catalysis, the lack of endogenous hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and the overexpression of glutathione (GSH) in tumor cells, the treatment of ferroptosis is restricted. Here, this document highlighted polymeric nanoparticles with GSH resection (ssP-tHB@Fe/DOX), demonstrating significant improvements in TME responses, biocompatibility, and anti-tumor effects. Our study offers a platform for combined BC amplification therapy involving ferroptosis and DOX-induced chemotherapy, and it highlights the use of 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzaldehyde (tHB) in a Fe(Ⅲ)-Fe(Ⅱ) cyclic reaction to deplete GSH and enhance ferroptosis. Notably, ssP-tHB@Fe/DOX could effectively disrupt mitochondrial structure and reduce membrane potential in tumor cells, leading to decreased ATP production, depletion of GSH via multi-channel approach, inhibition of GPX4 expression, and accumulation of lipid peroxidation, thereby inducing ferroptosis enhancement to achieve BC therapy. Meanwhile, the release of the anticancer drug DOX has dual effects: it interferes with NADPH to enhance the Fe-mediated Fenton reaction and induces apoptosis in tumor cells. Moreover, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis robustly supported the anti-tumor mechanism of ssP-tHB@Fe/DOX, confirming involvement in the amino acid metabolism ferroptosis signaling pathway and the p53 signaling pathway, etc. Therefore, in this study, we thoroughly introduced the design of intelligent nanosystems, proposed methods to enhance DOX-induced apoptosis and ferroptosis, offering a novel approach for cancer treatment.