Green self-assembly of zein-conjugated ZnO/Cd(OH)Cl hierarchical nanocomposites with high cytotoxicity and immune organs targeting

Abstract

Inorganic nanomedicines in the fight against cancer have progressed rapidly during recent years, with the synergistic advantages of multifunctional nanosystems compared to single component. Herein, a drug-combination opinion was introduced into "nanomedicine" based on the understanding of Trojan horse-anti-tumor mechanism of inorganic nano-medicines. Moreover, we reported the green and facile synthesis route of mono-dispersed and rod-like zein-conjugated ZnO/Cd(OH)Cl hierarchical nanocomposites. We found that the nanocomposites exhibited high-efficiency killing ability to tumor cells through lipid peroxidation mediated-membrane disintegration route. The safety studies in BALB/c mice didn't detect injection anaphylaxis, hemolysis and cytotoxicity. More interestingly, the nano-composites could specially accumulate in liver and kidney, which will be helpful for targeting cure to these regional cancers.

Figure 1. The green fabrication route of Z-ZnO/Cd(OH)Cl hierarchical nanocomposites.

Figure 2. Morphological and structure analysis of typical Z-ZnO/Cd(OH)Cl hierarchical nanocomposites (12 h-ion exchange product).

(A) TEM image; (B) magnification image; (C) FTIR spectrum; (D) XRD spectrum.

Figure 3. The possible pathways of lipid peroxidation-mediated disintegration of cells by Z-ZnO/Cd(OH)Cl hierarchical nanocomposites.

(1) Attachment of nanocomposites to cell surface; (2) Uptake of nanocomposites; (3a and 3b) Release of metal ions or their corresponding chemicals; (4a and 4b) Targeting transportation of metal ions or their corresponding chemicals to cellular membrane system; (5) Destruction of cell membrane system.

Figure 4

Dynamic distribution of Zn and Cd concentrations in different tissues (μg/g) after i.v. administration of Z-ZnO/Cd(OH)Cl hierarchical nanocomposites at a dose of 5 mg/kg (n = 5, p < 0.05).