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Cancer

Breakthrough in Cancer Treatment: Nanomedicine-based Antitumor Agents Show Promise

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Researchers from Nankai University in Tianjin, People's Republic of China, have made a significant discovery in the field of cancer treatment. According to a new study published in Advanced Healthcare Materials, a new nanomedicine-based antitumor agent has been developed using traditional Chinese herbal medicine (TCHM). This innovative approach combines the immunostimulatory activity of natural macromolecule Rosa laevigata polysaccharide (RLP) with the chemotherapeutic potential of isoliquiritigenin (ISL) and the chemodynamic therapy (CDT) functionality of iron ions.

Key Takeaways:

  • The novel stimulus-responsive antitumor nanoplatform (ISL@RLP-Fe) is based on polysaccharide-flavonoid-iron complexes and exhibits dual pH/GSH-responsive characteristics.
  • In vivo studies using MCF-7 xenograft models reveal that ISL@RLP-Fe significantly reduces tumor mass and inhibits cancer cell migration.
  • Mechanistically, ISL@RLP-Fe exerts antitumor effects through multiple pathways, including reactive oxygen species generation and induction of apoptosis.
  • The iron ions within ISL@RLP-Fe catalyze Fenton reactions that trigger lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis, while RLP enhances immune responses by activating dendritic cells.
  • This study innovatively integrates TCHM components with modern nanotechnology to construct a fully active pharmaceutical ingredient (full-API)-based multifunctional system, providing a promising strategy for cancer combination therapy.

Statistics:

  • The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and The 111 Center.
  • The research was conducted by Jing Xu and colleagues at Nankai University, College of Pharmacy, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Tianjin 300350, People's Republic of China.
  • The study incorporated 5 authors, including Zhen Lin, Ruyu Cao, Xiaoyang Guo, Fan Nie, and Yuanqiang Guo.

Sources:

  • Advanced Healthcare Materials, "Herbal Medicine-derived Natural Product Self-assembled Nanoparticles: Orchestrating Chemo-chemodynamic-immunotherapy for Tumor Combination Therapy" (2025)
  • NewsRx, "Data on Cancer Detailed by Researchers at Nankai University" (July 1, 2025)
  • Wiley-Blackwell, online publication, "Advanced Healthcare Materials"
  • Nankai University, College of Pharmacy, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology

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