Recently, our research group has successfully published a research paper titled "A tumor-targeting black phosphorus-based nanoplatform for controlled chemo-photothermal therapy of breast cancer" on Material Bio Today (SCI Q1 journal of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Top journal, 2023-2024 impact factor: 8.7).
Cancer, as one of the major diseases seriously threatening human health, has seen a continuous rise in global mortality rates. The challenges in cancer treatment are mainly reflected in three aspects: limitations in early diagnostic technologies, scarcity of effective therapeutic drugs, and the limitations of existing drug delivery systems. Therefore, the development of novel anti-cancer technologies based on food functional factors holds significant research value and application prospects. This study focuses on the food-derived functional factor indole-3-carbinol (I3C), which has significant anti-cancer activity. By employing multidisciplinary technologies such as near-infrared II imaging, materials chemistry, food science, and proteomics, we successfully constructed an intelligent I3C nano-delivery platform, NBP@mSiO2-PEG-cRGD. This platform exhibits outstanding drug loading performance, with a drug loading capacity of up to 55 μg I3C per milligram of NBP@mSiO2-PEG-cRGD, and excellent photothermal conversion properties, reaching 78 °C after 10 min of irradiation at a concentration of 100 μg/mL. In cell experiments, after near-infrared II laser irradiation, the NBP@mSiO2-PEG-cRGD/I3C showed a tumor cell killing rate of up to 92.58%. Real-time dynamic monitoring using near-infrared II in vivo imaging technology revealed that the delivery system could achieve specific accumulation at the tumor site within 24 h, producing a significant photothermal effect locally, with temperatures reaching 63.1 °C. In vivo anti-tumor experiments demonstrated that the material exhibits excellent therapeutic effects, with significantly reduced tumor volumes in the experimental group. Tumor tissue immunofluorescence analysis showed a significant increase in apoptosis markers, while the expression of proliferation marker Ki-67 and angiogenesis marker CD31 was significantly reduced. Further proteomic analysis to elucidate the mechanism of action of I3C revealed upregulation of key proteins in multiple signaling pathways related to tumor growth inhibition (such as the PPAR signaling pathway and HIF-1 signaling pathway). This study, through interdisciplinary innovation, not only provides new ideas and methods for the research of anti-tumor food functional factors but also lays an important scientific foundation for the deep development of food resources and the improvement of human health.
Paper link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtbio.2025.101563