Ortega-Liebana MC *,
Travnickova J,
Adam C,
González-Calderón D,
Lorente-Macías Á,
Lochenie C,
Arenal R,
Patton EE,
Unciti-Broceta A *.
University of Granada, GENYO, Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government,
and Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.GRANADA, Spain; University of Edinburgh,
UK
Near-Infrared Light-Accelerated Bioorthogonal Drug Uncaging and Photothermal Ablation
by Anisotropic Pd@Au Plasmonic Nanorods.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025;
147: 23980-23990
DOI:
10.1021/jacs.5c07261
Keywords
drug uncaging - near-infrared light - chemotherapy
Significance
The authors develop anisotropic palladium-gold (Pd@Au) nanorods that catalyze the
uncaging of prodrugs and prodyes under near-infrared (NIR) light. In addition, this
study introduces a new masking group, POxOC, allowing effective drug activation in
both the presence and absence of NIR stimulation. In vitro and in vivo experiments
in zebrafish xenograft models demonstrate efficient drug release, tumor suppression,
and minimal toxicity, establishing Pd@Au nanorods as a versatile platform for targeted,
light-controlled chemotherapy.
Comment
POxOC, a derivative of POBOC, offers a significant improvement in uncaging performance
for chemotherapeutics. Unlike bulky or hydrophobic groups that may hinder drug delivery
or require harsh conditions for release, POxOC enables efficient Pd-catalyzed uncaging
under biocompatible conditions. Additionally, the discovered thermally induced cleavage
by POxOC makes it versatile and effective for in vivo applications.
