Nanoscale copper ethoxide enables immunologically enhanced hepatoma radio-immunotherapy via synergistic cuproptosis and metabolic oxidative stress.

Authors

Songling Liu, Yang Liu, Qin Fan, Kexin Wen, Jinqiao Zhang, Yuechao Yang, Shining Yang, Gongchang Yu, Ziliang Dong

Published in

Biomaterials. Volume 337. Pages 124532. Aug 05, 2026. Epub Aug 05, 2026.

Abstract

Metal alkoxides hold promise in catalysis and materials science, but their rapid hydrolysis in aqueous media represents a major limitation for biomedical applications. To harness this intrinsic reactivity therapeutically, we developed a facile ultrasonication-assisted dispersion method to fabricate nanoscale copper ethoxide (CuOEt) with subsequent screening showing their ready dispersion in Lipiodol to form a stable injectable suspension (CuOEt@LPD). Unlike bare CuOEt nanoparticles, which suffered from rapid degradation, a burst release of ethanol, and conversion to copper oxide in water, the CuOEt@LPD formulation utilized a Lipiodol protection strategy to create an effective barrier against water, enabling a sustained release of ethanol. Functionally, the released ethanol upregulated intracellular cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1), triggering metabolic oxidative stress in hepatocellular carcinoma cells, which acted synergistically with released copper ion-induced cuproptosis, ultimately leading to robust cell death. Furthermore, the Lipiodol dispersant served as a potent radiosensitizer, significantly enhancing the tumor-inhibiting efficacy upon radiotherapy in an H22 murine hepatoma model. Notably, we discovered that this trimodal therapeutic strategy could also initiate a robust antitumor immune response, which established long-lasting immunological memory, thereby effectively suppressing tumor recurrence and metastasis. Our work successfully establishes metal alkoxides nanoparticles as a highly promising class of nanotherapeutic agents for hepatocellular carcinoma treatment.

PMID:
42570640
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 09 Aug 2026.

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