Auger Electrons Constructed Active Sites on Nanocatalysts for Catalytic Internal Radiotherapy.
Weiwei SuHan WangTao WangXiao LiZhongmin TangShuai ZhaoMeng ZhangDanni LiXingwu JiangTeng GongWei YangChangjing ZuoYelin WuWen-Bo BuPublished in: Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) (2020)
Excess electrons play important roles for the construction of superficial active sites on nanocatalysts. However, providing excess electrons to nanocatalysts in vivo is still a challenge, which limits the applications of nanocatalysts in biomedicine. Herein, auger electrons (AEs) emitted from radionuclide 125 (125I) are used in situ to construct active sites in a nanocatalyst (TiO2) and the application of this method is further extended to cancer catalytic internal radiotherapy (CIRT). The obtained 125I-TiO2 nanoparticles first construct superficial Ti3+ active sites via the reaction between Ti4+ and AEs. Then Ti3+ stretches and weakens the O-H bond of the absorbed H2O, thus enhancing the radiolysis of H2O molecules and generating hydroxyl radicals (•OH). All in vitro and in vivo results demonstrate a good CIRT performance. These findings will broaden the application of radionuclides and introduce new perspectives to nanomedicine.