Albumin-carried Fe(III) complex drives ferroptosis and immune activation in triple-negative breast cancer
- A series of Fe(III) compounds was optimized to Fe4, which was strongly cytotoxic to TNBC cells, and packaged as human serum albumin nanoparticles (HSA-Fe4).
- Structural analysis placed Fe4 in the IB subdomain of HSA, with His-146 coordinating the iron centre.
- In vivo, Fe4 and HSA-Fe4 curbed tumour growth and metastasis through Fenton-type chemodynamic therapy, ferroptosis and immune activation.
💡 Points
Defining the albumin binding site down to the coordinating histidine is what makes this more than a nanoparticle paper: it gives you a handle for ligand SAR. Still, a redox-active iron species hitting ferroptosis, Fenton chemistry and immunity at once is hard to deconvolve, and I'd ask for selectivity against normal tissue before reading anything into the efficacy.