Surface-Engineered Vanadium Carbide MXenzyme for Anti-Inflammation and Photoenhanced Antitumor Therapy of Colon Diseases

The development of colitis-associated colorectal cancer is known to be associated with the inflammation-dysplasia-carcinoma pathway, and thus, chronic inflammation represents an inducer and promoter of cancer. To inhibit the evolution from colitis to colorectal cancer and provide an efficient anticancer therapy, a surface-engineered vanadium carbide MXene nanoenzyme (MXenzyme) is developed with both amino functionalization and gallium doping (Ga/V2C-NH2). Benefiting from multiple enzyme-mimicking activities, MXenzymes have shown great potential to decrease excessive reactive oxygen species and inhibit the levels of proinflammatory cytokines, resulting in good anti-inflammatory effects on dextran sulfate sodium-induced acute colitis. Moreover, the gallium-doped MXene with an amino-functionalized surface can mediate improved MXene-tumor interactions and inhibitory effects on cell proliferation, achieving precise and efficient chemo-photothermal therapy. Elemental doping into MXene is also highlighted as a feasible strategy to achieve the loading and controlled release of gallium. As a result, complete tumor ablation without further recurrence is observed for the colon cancer-bearing mice that receive Ga/V2C-NH2 and near infrared irradiation, while the MXenzyme system displays excellent biocompatibility at both the cellular and animal levels. These findings not only enrich the research of MXene, but also illustrate its efficient therapeutic promise in anti-inflammation and photoenhanced antitumor therapy of colon diseases.