Jianmeng Zhu,1 Hongqin Wang,1 Kaiqiang Li,2 Xiuze Yuan,3 Wenzhong Hong1 

1Clinical Laboratory of Chun’an First People’s Hospital, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital Chun’an Branch, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 2Laboratory Medicine Center, Allergy Center, Department of Transfusion Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital (Affiliated People’s Hospital), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 3Pharmacy Department of Chun’an First People’s Hospital, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital Chun’an Branch, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China

Correspondence: Kaiqiang Li, Laboratory Medicine Center, Allergy Center, Department of Transfusion Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital (Affiliated People’s Hospital), Hangzhou Medical College, 158 Shangtang Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310014, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 571 8589 3270, Email likaiqiang@hmc.edu.cn

Background: Conventional treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) lack efficacy and targeting abilities. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as a promising alternative for targeted and minimally invasive tumor treatments. However, many biomaterials used in PDT pose biosafety concerns and insufficient enzyme activity often leads to limited reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, resulting in poor PDT efficacy. Single-atom nanoenzymes have attracted much research attention as a novel type of high-performance nanoenzymes.
Methods: In this study, we prepared black phosphorus nanosheets (BP) with good biocompatibility as a platform and loaded single-atom gold nanoenzymes onto BP nanosheets to treat HCC. To enhance the stability and targeting ability of the nanohybrid, it was PEGylated and modified with folate (FA) targeting molecules.
Results: The designed BP/single-atom nanoenzyme platform can target tumor tissues and generate substantial amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS), demonstrating biocompatibility and improved catalytic activity.
Conclusion: The nanoplatform effectively targets HCC and enhances PDT efficacy by increasing ROS production, offering a promising approach for HCC treatment.

Keywords: tumor treatment, photodynamic therapy, hepatocellular carcinoma, black phosphorus, single-atom gold