New Nanoparticles Generate Hydrogen Gas to Fight Cancer Tumors
- Authors
- Meng Yuan, Shuang Liang, Ling Yang, Fang Li, Bin Liu, Chunzheng Yang, Zhuang Yang, Yulong Bian, Ping'an Ma, Ziyong Cheng, Jun Lin
- Journal
- Advanced Materials
- Year
- 2022
- DOI
- 10.1002/adma.202209589
- Study Type
- Molecular Assay
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Cancer
- Body System
- Immune System
TL;DR
Researchers have developed a new type of cancer treatment that generates hydrogen gas within tumors to kill cancer cells, even when oxygen levels are low.
Key Finding
Platinum-bismuth sulfide nanoparticles generated hydrogen gas under ultrasound irradiation even in low-oxygen conditions and showed multiple mechanisms for damaging cancer cells in laboratory tests.
Summary
Researchers designed tiny particles made of platinum and bismuth sulfide that can generate hydrogen gas when exposed to ultrasound (sound waves). In laboratory tests, these particles produced hydrogen gas even in low-oxygen conditions (which are common in tumors) and appeared to damage cancer cells through multiple mechanisms: the hydrogen gas disrupted mitochondria (the cell's energy centers), depleted a protective molecule called glutathione, and relieved oxygen shortage in tumors. This is an early-stage molecular study with no human testing.
Practical Takeaway
This is a very early-stage laboratory study of a novel nanoparticle approach—not hydrogen water as typically consumed. No human trials have been conducted, and the study involved only molecular and cellular assays. While the results are scientifically interesting, they do not yet indicate whether this approach would be safe or effective in people.
Abstract
Conventional sonodynamic therapy (SDT) is unavoidably limited by the tumor microenvironment although many sonosensitizers have been developed to improve them to a certain extent. Given this, we propose a concept of sonocatalytic hydrogen evolution and define it as an oxygen-independent therapeutics. To demonstrate the feasibility of the concept, narrow-bandgap semiconductor bismuth sulfide (Bi2 S3 ) are selected as sonocatalysts and platinum (Pt) nanoparticles are grown in situ to optimize their catalytic performance. In this nanocatalytic system, Pt nanoparticles help to capture sono-excited electrons, whereas intratumoral overexpressed glutathione (GSH) as natural hole sacrificial agents can consume sono-excited holes, which greatly improves charge separation efficiency and promote the controllable and sustainable H2 generation. Even under hypoxic conditions, the Pt-Bi2 S3 nanoparticles can also produce sufficient H2 under US irradiation. Mechanistically, mitochondrial dysfunction caused by H2 and intratumoral redox homeostasis destruction by GSH depletion synergistically damage DNA to induce tumor cells apoptosis. At the same time, Pt nanoparticles and holes can also trigger the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide into O2 to relieve tumor hypoxia, thus synergistic with GSH depletion to reverse tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment. The proposed sonocatalysis mediated therapy will provide a new direction to realize facile and efficient cancer therapy. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.