Arsenene-mediated multiple independently targeted reactive oxygen species burst for cancer therapy

Abstract

The modulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels is crucial for cellular homeostasis and determination of cellular fate. A sublethal level of ROS sustains cell proliferation, differentiation and promotes tumor metastasis, while a drastic ROS burst directly induces apoptosis. Herein, surface-oxidized arsenene nanosheets (As/As_xO_y NSs) with type II heterojunction are fabricated with efficient ·O₂^- and ¹O₂ production and glutathione consumption through prolonging the lifetime of photo-excited electron-hole pairs. Moreover, the portion of As_xO_y with oxygen vacancies not only catalyzes a Fenton-like reaction, generating ·OH and O₂ from H₂O₂, but also inactivates main anti-oxidants to cut off the "retreat routes" of ROS. After polydopamine (PDA) and cancer cell membrane (M) coating, the engineered As/As_xO_y@PDA@M NSs serve as an intelligent theranostic platform with active tumor targeting and long-term blood circulation. Given its narrow-band-gap-enabled in vivo fluorescence imaging properties, As/As_xO_y@PDA@M NSs could be applied as an imaging-guided non-invasive and real-time nanomedicine for cancer therapy.