A H⁺-triggered bubble-generating nanosystem for killing cancer cells

Abstract

We constructed a H(+)-triggered bubble-generating nanosystem (BGNS), which generated CO2 bubbles in the acidic environment of lysosomes after being internalized by cancer cells. The quickly generated bubbles caused enhanced lysosomal membrane permeabilization. As expected, H(+)-triggered BGNS possessed remarkable cytotoxicity against MCF-7 breast cancer cells, and successfully overcame the multidrug resistance of MCF-7/ADR cells.