Biologically-derived nanoparticles for chemo-ferroptosis combination therapy

Biologically-derived nanoparticles (NPs) are an emerging type of drug carrier in the field of biomedicine due to their unique biological and physicochemical properties. However, the preparation of biologically-derived NPs often requires complex procedures and/or organic solvents, which may reduce versatility in amenable functionalization strategies and suitability for potential biological applications. Herein, we report a green and facile strategy for the scalable synthesis of biologically-derived NPs from mung beans (MBs) and demonstrate an example application in combination cancer therapy. The MB NPs (MBNs) are mainly composed of proteins, polysaccharides, polyphenols, and flavonoids. Doxorubicin (DOX) and metal ions (i.e., Fe2+) can be easily loaded into MBNs, which show their potential as agents for chemo-ferroptosis combination therapy and magnetic resonance imaging. The study establishes a promising strategy to engineer functional NPs of potential interest for biomedical applications including bio-imaging and therapeutic delivery.