CaCO_(3)-encircled hollow CuS nanovehicles to suppress cervical cancer through enhanced calcium overload-triggered mitochondria damage

Cervical cancer stands is a formidablemalignancy that poses a significant threat towomen’s health.Calcium overload,a minimally invasive tumor treatment,aims to accumulate an excessive concentration of Ca^(2+)within mitochondria,triggering apoptosis.Copper sulfide(CuS)represents a photothermal mediator for tumor hyperthermia.However,relying solely on thermotherapy often proves insufficient in controlling tumor growth.Curcumin(CUR),an herbal compound with anti-cancer properties,inhibits the efflux of exogenous Ca^(2+)while promoting its excretion from the endoplasmic reticulum into the cytoplasm.To harness these therapeutic modalities,we have developed a nanoplatform that incorporates hollow CuS nanoparticles(NPs)adorned with multiple CaCO_(3) particles and internally loaded with CUR.This nanocomposite exhibits high uptake and easy escape from lysosomes,along with the degradation of surrounding CaCO3,provoking the generation of abundant exogenous Ca^(2+)in situ,ultimately damaging the mitochondria of diseased cells.Impressively,under laser excitation,the CuS NPs demonstrate a photothermal effect that accelerates the degradation of CaCO_(3),synergistically enhancing the antitumor effect through photothermal therapy.Additionally,fluorescence imaging reveals the distribution of these nanovehicles in vivo,indicating their effective accumulation at the tumor site.This nanoplatform shows promising outcomes for tumor-targeting and the effective treatment in a murine model of cervical cancer,achieved through cascade enhancement of calcium overload-based dual therapy.