pH-Regulating Nanoplatform for the “Double Channel Chase ” of Tumor Cells by the Synergistic Cascade between Chlorine Treatment and Methionine-Depletion Starvation Therapy

During rapid proliferation and metabolism, tumor cells show a high dependence on methionine. The deficiency of methionine exhibits significant inhibition on tumor growth, which provides a potential therapeutic target in tumor therapy. Herein, ClO2-loaded nanoparticles (fluvastatin sodium&metformin&bupivacaine&ClO2@CaSiO3@MnO2-arginine-glycine-aspatic acid (RGD) (MFBC@CMR) NPs) were prepared for synergistic chlorine treatment and methionine-depletion starvation therapy. After outer layer MnO2 was degraded in the high glutathione (GSH) tumor microenvironment (TME), MFBC@CMR NPs released metformin (Me) to target the mitochondria, thus interfering with the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and promoting the production of lactate. In addition, released fluvastatin sodium (Flu) by the NPs acted on monocarboxylic acid transporter 4 (MCT4) in the cell membrane to inhibit lactate leakage and induce a decrease of intracellular pH, further prompting the NPs to release chlorine dioxide (ClO2), which then oxidized methionine, inhibited tumor growth, and produced large numbers of Cl- in the cytoplasm. Cl- could enter mitochondria through the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) channel, which was opened by bupivacaine (Bup). The disruption of Cl- homeostasis promotes mitochondrial damage and membrane potential decline, leading to the release of cytochrome C (Cyt-C) and apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) and further inducing cell apoptosis. To sum up, the pH-regulating and ClO2-loaded MFBC@CMR nanoplatform can achieve cascade chlorine treatment and methionine-depletion starvation therapy toward tumor cells, which is of great significance for improving the clinical tumor treatment effect.