Abstract

Gastric cancer (GC) has high incidence and mortality rates worldwide. Therefore, developing safer and more efficient treatments is urgently required. In recent years, Prussian blue nanoparticles (PBNPs) have shown great application prospects in tumor therapy. This study investigated the role of ultra-small PBNPs (USPBNPs) in the treatment of GC, which showed excellent photothermal property and enzyme-like activities. The catalase-like (CAT-like) activity of USPBNPs regulated the hypoxic microenvironment of tumors, while its peroxidase-like (POD-like) activity improved the oxidative stress in tumor cells, thus promoting tumor apoptosis. In vivo and in vitro experiments confirmed that USPBNPs could kill GC cells more efficiently through synergistic chemodynamic and photothermal effects. Moreover, USPBNPs demonstrated good biosafety in vivo. In conclusion, the current study developed a nanoparticle which has the synergistic effects of photothermal therapy and chemodynamic therapy, providing a reliable basis for realizing synergistic and efficient treatment of tumors. Graphical abstract The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI. A schematic diagram of the in vivo tumor treatment achieved by USPBNPs through the combination of photothermal and chemodynamic therapies.