Engineering Electronic Band Structure of Binary Thermoelectric Nanocatalysts for Augmented Pyrocatalytic Tumor Nanotherapy

Photothermal therapy (PTT) has emerged as a distinct therapeutic modality owing to its non-invasiveness and spatiotemporal selectivity. However, the heat-shock proteins (HSPs) endow tumor cells with resistance to heat-induced apoptosis, severely lowering the therapeutic efficacy of PTT. In this study, we developed a high-performance pyroelectric nanocatalyst, Bi13 S18 I2 nanorods (Nrs), with prominent pyroelectric conversion and photothermal conversion performance for augmented pyrocatalytic tumor nanotherapy. Canonical binary compounds were reconstructed by inserting a third biocompatible agent, thus facilitating the formation of Bi13 S18 I2 Nrs with enhanced pyrocatalytic conversion efficiency. Under 808 nm laser irradiation, Bi13 S18 I2 Nrs induced a conspicuous temperature elevation for photonic hyperthermia. In particular, Bi13 S18 I2 Nrs harvested pyrocatalytic energy from the heating and cooling alterations to produce abundant reactive oxygen species (ROS), which resulted in the depletion of HSPs and hence the reduction of thermo-resistance of tumor cells, thereby significantly augmenting the therapeutic efficacy of photothermal tumor hyperthermia. By synergizing the pyroelectric dynamic therapy with PTT, tumor suppression with a significant tumor inhibition rate of 97.2% was achieved after intravenous administration of Bi13 S18 I2 Nrs and subsequent exposure to an 808 nm laser. This work opens an avenue for the design of high-performance pyroelectric nanocatalysts by reconstructing canonical binary compounds for therapeutic applications in biocatalytic nanomedicine. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.