Hybrid chalcogen bonds in prodrug nanoassemblies provides dual redox-responsivity in the tumor microenvironment

Tian Liu, Lingxiao Li, Shuo Wang, Fudan Dong, Shiyi Zuo, Jiaxuan Song, Xin Wang, Qi Lu, Helin Wang, Haotian Zhang, Maosheng Cheng, Xiaohong Liu, Zhonggui He, Bingjun Sun () and Jin Sun ()
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Tian Liu: Shenyang Pharmaceutical University
Lingxiao Li: Shenyang Pharmaceutical University
Shuo Wang: Shenyang Pharmaceutical University
Fudan Dong: Shenyang Pharmaceutical University
Shiyi Zuo: Shenyang Pharmaceutical University
Jiaxuan Song: Shenyang Pharmaceutical University
Xin Wang: Shenyang Pharmaceutical University
Qi Lu: Shenyang Pharmaceutical University
Helin Wang: Shenyang Pharmaceutical University
Haotian Zhang: Shenyang Pharmaceutical University
Maosheng Cheng: Shenyang Pharmaceutical University
Xiaohong Liu: Shenyang Pharmaceutical University
Zhonggui He: Shenyang Pharmaceutical University
Bingjun Sun: Shenyang Pharmaceutical University
Jin Sun: Shenyang Pharmaceutical University

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Abstract Sulfur bonds, especially trisulfide bond, have been found to ameliorate the self-assembly stability of homodimeric prodrug nanoassemblies and could trigger the sensitive reduction-responsive release of active drugs. However, the antitumor efficacy of homodimeric prodrug nanoassemblies with single reduction-responsivity may be restricted due to the heterogeneous tumor redox microenvironment. Herein, we replace the middle sulfur atom of trisulfide bond with an oxidizing tellurium atom or selenium atom to construct redox dual-responsive sulfur-tellurium-sulfur and sulfur-selenium-sulfur hybrid chalcogen bonds. The hybrid chalcogen bonds, especially the sulfur-tellurium-sulfur bond, exhibit ultrahigh dual-responsivity to both oxidation and reduction conditions, which could effectively address the heterogeneous tumor microenvironment. Moreover, the hybrid sulfur-tellurium-sulfur bond promotes the self-assembly of homodimeric prodrugs by providing strong intermolecular forces and sufficient steric hindrance. The above advantages of sulfur-tellurium-sulfur bridged homodimeric prodrug nanoassemblies result in the improved antitumor efficacy of docetaxel with satisfactory safety. The exploration of hybrid chalcogen bonds in drug delivery deepened insight into the development of prodrug-based chemotherapy to address tumor redox heterogeneity, thus enriching the design theory of prodrug-based nanomedicines.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35033-7

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