A Multifunctional Liposome for Synergistic Chemotherapy with Ferroptosis Activation of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Abstract

There is an urgent need to develop efficient treatments for highly invasive triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) with a high rate of postoperative. Baicalin (BA) has shown inhibitory effects on several tumor cells and could activate ferroptosis in some tumor cells by producing reactive oxygen species (ROS). For overcoming the shortcomings of BA in clinical applications and enhancing the effect of ferroptosis in TNBC, herein, a multifunctional liposome (BA-Fe(III) coordination-polymer-loaded liposome, BA-Fe(III) Lipo) was developed for synergistic chemotherapy of TNBC with ferroptosis activation. Fe(III) released from BA-Fe(III) Lipo could be efficiently reduced to Fe(II) in the presence of high glutathione in tumor microenvironment, which in turn catalyzed the oxidation of unsaturated fats through lipid peroxidation for more ROS production. In addition, BA-Fe(III) Lipo activated tumor cell ferroptosis by down-regulating the enzymatic activity of ferritin heavy chain 1 protein and glutathione peroxidase. This study provided a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of TNBC by ingeniously combining chemotherapy with the activation of ferroptosis, which presented potential clinical applications.

Keywords: FTH1; GPX; baicalin; coordination polymers; ferroptosis; synergistic therapy.