A narrow-bandgap RuI 3 nanoplatform to synergize radiotherapy, photothermal therapy, and thermoelectric dynamic therapy for tumor eradication.

Therapeutic resistance is an essential challenge for nanotherapeutics. Herein, a narrow bandgap RuI ₃ nanoplatform has been constructed firstly to synergize radiotherapy (RT), photothermal therapy (PTT), and thermoelectric dynamic therapy (TEDT) for tumor eradication. Specifically, the photothermal performance of RuI ₃ can ablate tumor cells while inducing TEDT. Noteworthy, the thermoelectric effect is found firstly in RuI ₃ , which can spontaneously generate an electric field under the temperature gradient, prompting carrier separation and triggering massive ROS generation, thus aggravating oxidative stress level and effectively inhibiting HSP-90 expression. Moreover, RuI ₃ greatly enhances X-ray deposition owing to its high X-ray attenuation capacity, resulting in a pronounced computed tomography imaging contrast and DNA damage. In addition, RuI ₃ possesses both catalase-like and glutathione peroxidase-like properties, which alleviate tumor hypoxia and reduce antioxidant resistance, further exacerbating ¹ O ₂ production during RT and TEDT. This integrated therapy platform combining PTT, TEDT, and RT significantly inhibits tumor growth. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: RuI ₃ nanoparticles were synthesized for the first time. RuI ₃ exhibited the highest photothermal properties among iodides, and the photothermal conversion efficiency was 53.38 %. RuI ₃ was found to have a thermoelectric effect, and the power factor could be comparable to that of most conventional thermoelectric materials. RuI ₃ possessed both catalase-like and glutathione peroxidase-like properties, which contributed to enhancing the effect of radiotherapy.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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