Tumor specific in situ synthesis of therapeutic agent for precision cancer therapy.

Background: Traditional chemotherapeutic agents suffer from a lack of selectivity, poor targeting ability, and drug resistance. Developing tumor-specific therapies is crucial for precisely eliminating tumors while circumventing toxicity to normal tissues. Disulfiram (DSF), an FDA-approved drug for treating alcohol dependence, exhibits antitumor effect by forming complexes with copper ions (Cu(DDC)₂). Here, we developed a Cu-doped polydopamine-based nanosystem (DSF@CuPDA-PEGM) to achieve in situ generation of toxic Cu(DDC)₂.

Results: In cancer cells with elevated H₂O₂ contents, CuPDA responsively degrades to release Cu ions and DSF, allowing on-site synthesis of Cu(DDC)₂ with potent antitumor activity. DSF@CuPDA-PEGM exhibits excellent therapeutic efficacy against both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant cancer cells while minimizing toxicity to noncancerous cells. Moreover, DSF@CuPDA-PEGM promotes the immune response by inducing cancer cell immunogenic death, thereby augmenting anti-PD-1-based immune checkpoint blockade therapy.

Conclusion: A tumor-specifically degradable Cu-doped polydopamine-based nanosystem is developed to achieve in situ synthesis of antitumor compounds, providing a promising approach to precisely eliminate tumors and heighten chemo-immunotherapy.