Self-supplying Cu 2+ and H 2 O 2 synergistically enhancing disulfiram-mediated melanoma chemotherapy.

Disulfiram (DSF) can target and kill cancer cells by disrupting cellular degradation of extruded proteins and has therefore received particular attention for its tumor chemotherapeutic potential. However, the uncontrollable Cu ²⁺ /DSF ratio reduces the efficacy of DSF-mediated chemotherapy. Herein, self-supplying Cu ²⁺ and oxidative stress synergistically enhanced DSF-mediated chemotherapy is proposed for melanoma-based on PVP-coated CuO ₂ nanodots (CPNDs). Once ingested, DSF is broken down to diethyldithiocarbamate (DTC), which is delivered into a tumor via the circulation. Under the acidic tumor microenvironment, CPNDs produce sufficient Cu ²⁺ and H ₂ O ₂ . DTC readily chelates Cu ²⁺ ions to generate CuET, which shows antitumor efficacy. CuET-mediated chemotherapy can be enhanced by H ₂ O ₂ . Sufficient Cu ²⁺ generation can guarantee the maximum efficacy of DSF-mediated chemotherapy. Furthermore, released Cu ²⁺ can be reduced to Cu ⁺ by glutathione (GSH) and O ^2- in tumor cells, and Cu ⁺ can react with H ₂ O ₂ to generate toxic hydroxyl radicals (·OH) via a Fenton-like reaction, promoting the efficacy of CuET. Therefore, this study hypothesizes that employing CPNDs instead of Cu ²⁺ ions could enhance DSF-mediated melanoma chemotherapy, providing a simple but efficient strategy for achieving chemotherapeutic efficacy.
Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare.
(This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)