Modulation of tumor microenvironment by metal-organic-framework-derived nanoenzyme for enhancing nucleus-targeted photodynamic therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising strategy for tumor treatment. Still, its therapeutic efficacy is compromised by the unsatisfactory cytotoxicity to specific subcellular organelles and insidious tumor microenvironment properties like hypoxia and high glutathione levels. Here, we fabricated a novel nanoenzyme that derived from metal-organic framework (MOF) with intrinsic catalase-like activities to decompose H2O2 to O2 and simultaneous glutathione consumption for enhancing PDT efficacy. The obtained Mn3O4 nanoparticle shows a larger pore size and surface area compared to native MOF particles, which can be used to load high dose photosensitizer. When decorated with AS1411 aptamer and polyethylene glycol (PEG), the obtained Mn3O4-PEG@C&A particle exhibits excellent stability and cell nucleus targeting ability. Remarkably, Mn3O4-PEG@C&A particle inhibited the tumor growth in the mouse model with high efficacy without any biotoxicity. This is the first report that applied MOF-derived nanoparticle to nucleus-targeted PDT. It may provide a new approach for designing functional nanoenzyme to subcellular organelles-targeted tumor modulation.