Boosting cisplatin chemotherapy by nanomotor-enhanced tumor penetration and DNA adducts formation

Despite many nano-based strategies devoted to delivering cisplatin for tumor therapy, its clinical benefits are compromised by poor tissue penetration and limited DNA adducts formation of the drug. Herein, a cisplatin loading nanomotor based janus structured Ag-polymer is developed for cisplatin delivery of deeper tissue and increased DNA adducts formation. The nanomotor displayed a self‐propelled tumor penetration fueled by hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) in tumor tissues, which is catalytically decomposed into a large amount of oxygen bubbles by Ag nanoparticles (NPs). Notably, cisplatin could elevate the intracellular H 2 O 2 level through cascade reactions, further promote the degradation of Ag NPs accompanied with the Ag + release, which could downregulate intracellular Cl − through the formation of AgCl precipitate, thereby enhancing cisplatin dechlorination and Pt–DNA formation. Moreover, polymer can also inhibit the activity of ALKBH2 (a Fe 2+ -dependent DNA repair enzyme) by chelating intracellular Fe 2+ to increase the proportion of irreparable Pt–DNA cross-links. It is found that deep tissue penetration, as well as the increased formation and maintenance of Pt–DNA adducts induced by the nanomotor afford 80% of tumor growth inhibition with negligible toxicity. This work provides an important perspective of resolving chemotherapeutic barriers for boosting cisplatin therapy. Graphical Abstract