Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed artificial nanozyme enzymes to deliver anti-cancer drugs to tumor cells. Research on Increasing Efficiency and Reducing Adverse Reactions in Cancer Treatment Published Journal of Controlled Release.
Despite its effectiveness, cancer chemotherapy destroys all rapidly dividing cells, both cancerous and healthy. This leads to serious side effects that significantly reduce patients’ quality of life. Nanozymes, artificial enzymes that can speed up predetermined chemical reactions, could solve this problem.
In a new study, scientists have created a nanozyme that can convert the anti-cancer drug fluorouracil into its active form. When evaluated in a mouse model of breast cancer, their treatment can shrink the tumor as effectively as standard fluorouracil chemotherapy, but with significantly less liver damage.
Nanozymes are gold nanoparticles densely coated with positively charged molecules, whereby they are strongly attracted to negatively charged cell surfaces. Inside the nanoparticles is a metal catalyst such as palladium, which in this study is responsible for the conversion of fluorouracil to its active form.
“This study demonstrated how to make existing chemotherapy less toxic without sacrificing efficacy in a preclinical model of breast cancer. In particular, the authors noted that this technique has the potential to be applied to other types of drugs, paving the way for targeted therapies for many different conditions.
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