Hydrogen-Enhanced Nanobots Show Promise for Targeted Cancer Treatment

Authors
Journal
Journal of the American Chemical Society
Year
DOI
10.1021/jacs.5c02114
Study Type
Molecular Assay
Outcome
Positive
Peer Reviewed
Yes
Country
China
Health Condition
Cancer
Body System
Whole Body

TL;DR

Adding hydrogen to palladium-based tiny particles boosts their ability to mimic natural enzymes, with different methods of adding hydrogen affecting which types of enzyme activities are enhanced.

Key Finding

Adding hydrogen to palladium nanoparticles significantly enhanced their ability to neutralize harmful free radicals and break down hydrogen peroxide in cells, with the specific effect depending on how the hydrogen was incorporated.

Summary

This study examined how adding hydrogen to palladium nanoparticles (tiny engineered particles) affects their ability to act like enzymes (proteins that speed up chemical reactions). Researchers found that hydrogen-loaded palladium particles became better at breaking down harmful molecules in cells, and that different ways of adding hydrogen produced different effects. They then combined these particles with another enzyme to create a system designed to target cancer cells.

Practical Takeaway

This is early-stage laboratory research on engineered nanoparticles, not hydrogen water. The study was conducted in molecular assays (test-tube level experiments) with no human trials, so it cannot yet inform decisions about hydrogen water for health. While the findings are scientifically interesting, they do not directly apply to drinking hydrogen-enriched water.

Abstract

Pd-based nanozymes have emerged as promising alternatives to natural enzymes, but their application is still constrained due to suboptimal activity and poor specificity. As efficient hydrogen storage nanomaterials, the specific implications of implanted hydrogen on the enzyme-mimicking activity of Pd-based nanomaterials remain largely uninvestigated. In this study, we discovered that hydrogenation process significantly enhances the enzyme-like activity of Pd-based nanomaterials, although reaction specificity varies in dependence on the synthetic route of Pd hydrides. Pd/H2 nanocubes (NCs), which are synthesized by directly injecting hydrogen gas into a solution containing Pd NCs, exhibit a selective enhancement in antioxidative activity against cytotoxic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide anion (O2•-), and hydroxyl radical (•OH) due to the sustained release of bioreductive hydrogen. In contrast, stable Pd hydride NCs, which are prepared through the in situ catalytic decomposition of alternative sources of hydrogen atoms, exhibit a remarkable enhancement in exclusive H2O2 activation pathways, specifically exhibiting peroxidase (POD)-like and catalase (CAT)-like activities. Multiple spectroscopic characterizations and density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirmed that this high catalytic activity and specificity of PdH NCs arise from lattice tensile strain and electronic structure change. Based on these findings, a PdH/glucose oxidase (GOx) nanocomplex was developed for cascade catalysis in tumor therapy. This work not only reveals that hydride formation can influence both the activity and selectivity of Pd nanozymes but also provides a viable strategy for the precise regulation of specific enzyme-like activity in hydrogen-loading nanozymes.