Vanadium Carbide MXenzyme Harnessing Photothermal Effects for Targeted Lung Tumor Suppression and Inflammation Eradication

Photothermal therapy (PTT) is increasingly favored as a treatment option for lung cancer, a leading cause of cancer-related death. However, the effectiveness of PTT is hampered by both tumor-associated and treatment-related inflammatory reactions. Consequently, there is a pressing need for innovative PTT-based platforms capable of mitigating inflammation postcancer treatment. Herein, 2D vanadium carbide (V2C) MXenzyme nanosheets via a straightforward exfoliation and intercalation process are successfully synthesized. The V2C MXenzyme demonstrates a robust photothermal effect, which varied with concentration, density, and irradiation duration when exposed to 808 nm near-infrared light. Notably, V2C MXenzyme exhibits the ability to eliminate A549 lung cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo through PTT. Additionally, the synthesized V2C MXenzyme nanosheets exhibited various enzyme-like activities, resembling reactive oxygen species-mimetic enzymes, including superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, glutathione peroxidase, and thiol peroxidase. V2C MXenzyme significantly curtailed inflammation in both in vitro and in vivo settings. Furthermore, gene sequencing analysis of inflammation-related genes responding to V2C MXenzyme nanosheets is performed and identified HSPA1A as a significantly differentially expressed gene. HSPA1A expression correlated with the infiltration of various immune cells in lung adenocarcinoma. Thus, V2C MXenzyme may serve as a revalorization platform to suppress lung tumors and reduce inflammation. Synthesized 2D vanadium carbide MXenzyme nanosheets exhibit potent photothermal properties, effectively eradicating cancer cells and reducing inflammation in both lab and animal studies. Additionally, these nanosheets reveal a link between HSPA1A gene expression and immune cell infiltration in lung adenocarcinoma, indicating their potential for redefining treatment strategies, particularly in mitigating lung tumors and managing inflammation.image