Researchers at the University of Kentucky are exploring new ways to use nanoparticles in combination with other materials as an innovative approach to cancer therapy.

The paper titled “Iron Oxide Nanozymes Enhanced by Ascorbic Acid for Macrophage-Based Cancer Therapy” was published earlier this year in Nanoscale, a high-impact journal in the fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology.

Sheng Tong, Ph.D., an associate professor in the F. Joseph Halcomb II, M.D., Department of Biomedical Engineering in the UK Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering, led the study which was funded by multiple awards from the National Institutes of Health.

The team of researchers focused on nanozymes, a type of magnetic nanoparticle with enzymatic activity, as a strategy to enhance the tumor suppressing activity of ascorbic acid.

“Ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, has been used recently for cancer treatment because of its antioxidant properties. However, its use is limited by the high doses needed to be effective,” Tong said. “We chose to explore the potential of nanozymes to expand the efficacy of ascorbic acid in cancer treatment.”

Researchers found that the effectiveness of the treatments depends on the order in which they’re administered.

Combining these nanoparticles with ascorbic acid destroyed cancer cells only when the nanoparticles were added first and got inside the cells. Conversely, if the nanoparticles and ascorbic acid were outside the cells together, their effect was nullified.

“This discovery underscores the significance of coordinating nanoparticles and ascorbic acid in cancer treatment as their utilization with other agents necessitates meticulous coordination,” Tong said.

Researchers also engineered a specific type of immune cell — macrophages — to carry the nanoparticles to the tumor site. Macrophages are naturally attracted to tumors, and when loaded with magnetic nanoparticles, they can be further guided to the tumor using an external magnetic field.

In their laboratory testing, the biomedical engineers combined breast cancer cells and macrophages loaded with the nanoparticles. Once they added ascorbic acid, the tumor-killing effect was significantly enhanced. By taking this approach, macrophages preloaded with nanoparticles could be used as an aid to ascorbic acid for cancer treatment.  

Overall, the research presents a method that combines nanoparticles and immune cells as a promising approach for novel therapies.

“This discovery prompts further exploration, charting a path towards an innovative combination therapy,” Tong said.

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering under Award Number R01EB026893; by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases under Award Number R21AR078447; and by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P30CA177558. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. 

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Cooperative Agreement No. 2025075. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.