Recently, our research group successfully published a research article titled “Covalently assembled dual-functional triple-helix lentinan-Au for cervical cancer therapy” in Carbohydrate Polymers, a CAS Zone 1 journal (TOP journal, 2025 Impact Factor: 12.5).

The aggressive nature of cervical cancer urgently calls for effective therapeutic strategies. Polysaccharides have shown great potential in anti-cervical cancer treatments, yet their therapeutic efficacy remains limited. Gold clusters (Au-GSH) exhibit strong peroxidase-like activity capable of promoting tumor cell apoptosis, but their rapid renal clearance severely restricts their therapeutic potential. Therefore, we covalently conjugated lentinan (LNT) with Au-GSH to construct a novel composite material, LNT-Au, featuring synergistic anticancer effects. This material preserves the triple-helix structure of LNT and significantly enhances the in vivo retention and tumor accumulation of gold clusters. In vitro experiments demonstrated that LNT-Au can be internalized by HeLa cells, increase intracellular •OH levels, alter mitochondrial membrane potential, and markedly promote HeLa cell apoptosis. Animal experiments further confirmed its excellent biosafety, effective tumor accumulation, and its ability to inhibit tumor growth via regulating the Bax/Bcl-2/Caspase-3 signaling pathway. This work provides a new direction for polysaccharide–gold cluster combination therapies against cervical cancer.

Article link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2025.124799