The collaborative research achievement of Associate Professor Qiu Meng’ s team from the College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Professor Shu Jian's team from the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University and Professor Jong Seung Kim from Korea University, has been published as a full-length article titled High Entropy 2D Layered Double Hydroxides Nanosheet Toward Cascaded Nanozyme-Initiated Chemodynamic and Immune Synergistic Therapy in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Notably, the paper was featured as the cover article for that issue.

In this study, the team designed a novel two-dimensional high-entropy layered double hydroxide (HE-LDHs) nanosheet. By constructing a composite therapeutic mechanism that combines nanozyme cascade catalysis with immune synergy, researchers successfully applied the material to reshape the tumor microenvironment (TME) in experiments and integrate chemotherapy with immunotherapy. This progress provides a more flexible and precise therapy for tumor treatment.

The experimental results indicate that the enzymatic activities exhibited by HE-LDHs within the TME enable the efficient catalysis of tumor metabolites to generate high concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby inducing tumor cell apoptosis. Additionally, ROS triggers mitochondrial dysfunction and causes the leakage of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The leaked mtDNA, catalyzed by zinc ions, activates the cGAS/STING signaling pathway, further enhancing anti-tumor immune responses. This process further facilitates cytokine secretion and the maturation of lymphocytes, effectively inhibiting tumor growth and preventing its recurrence.

This study represents the first exploration of applying HE-LDHs in the biomedical field, demonstrating their potential as a multifunctional nanosheet. With their unique compositional flexibility and synergistic effects of multi-element, HE-LDHs offer innovative and customizable strategies for precision tumor therapy.