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REVIEW article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Drug Metabolism and Transport
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1481168
This article is part of the Research Topic New Drugs and Future Challenges in Drug Metabolism and Transport View all 8 articles

Porphyrin-engineered nanoscale metal-organic frameworks: enhancing photodynamic therapy and ferroptosis in oncology

Provisionally accepted
Xiaohua Zheng Xiaohua Zheng 1,2*Yutao Zou Yutao Zou 3Jiayi Chen Jiayi Chen 1,2Xuanxuan Luo Xuanxuan Luo 1,2Yijie Qu Yijie Qu 1,2Mengjiao Zhou Mengjiao Zhou 1,2Rui Xia Rui Xia 1,4Weiqi Wang Weiqi Wang 1,2
  • 1 Nantong University, Nantong, China
  • 2 School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China
  • 3 Affiliated Danyang Hospital of Nantong University, Danyang People's Hospital, Danyang, Jiangsu Province, China
  • 4 School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Photodynamic therapy and ferroptosis induction have risen as vanguard oncological interventions, distinguished by their precision and ability to target vulnerabilities in cancer cells. Photodynamic therapy's non-invasive profile and selective cytotoxicity complement ferroptosis' unique mode of action, which exploits iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, offering a pathway to overcome chemoresistance with lower systemic impact. The synergism between photodynamic therapy and ferroptosis is underscored by the depletion of glutathione and glutathione peroxidase 4 inhibitions by photodynamic therapy-induced reactive oxygen species, amplifying lipid peroxidation and enhancing ferroptotic cell death. This synergy presents an opportunity to refine cancer treatment by modulating redox homeostasis. Porphyrin-based nanoscale metalorganic frameworks have unique hybrid structures and exceptional properties. These frameworks can serve as a platform for integrating photodynamic therapy and ferroptosis through carefully designed structures and functions. These nanostructures can be engineered to deliver multiple therapeutic modalities simultaneously, marking a pivotal advance in multimodal cancer therapy. This review synthesizes recent progress in porphyrin-modified nanoscale metal-organic frameworks for combined photodynamic therapy and ferroptosis, delineating the mechanisms that underlie their synergistic effects in a multimodal context. It underscores the potential of porphyrinbased nanoscale metal-organic frameworks as advanced nanocarriers in oncology, propelling the field toward more efficacious and tailored cancer treatments.

    Keywords: Porphyrin, Metal-organic framework, Photodynamic therapy, ferroptosis, Reactive Oxygen Species

    Received: 15 Aug 2024; Accepted: 10 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zheng, Zou, Chen, Luo, Qu, Zhou, Xia and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Xiaohua Zheng, Nantong University, Nantong, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.