Continuous electrochemical H2O2 delivery for cancer cell treatment

Abstract

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) has emerged as a promising agent in cancer therapy due to its ability to induce oxidative stress selectively in tumor cells, however, its efficacy is severely hampered by H2O2 breakdown when administered via standard routes. Our study introduces an innovative electrochemical method for the controlled and continuous delivery of H2O2 directly to cancer cells, potentially enhancing the efficacy of cancer treatments. We investigated the performance of gold, titanium, stainless steel, and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), PEDOT, electrodes in generating H2O2, with PEDOT exhibiting superior consistency and efficiency in cell culture medium. The galvanostatic delivery of H2O2 demonstrated a dose-dependent reduction in cell viability for U87 glioblastoma and A375 melanoma cells, confirming the cytotoxic impact of H2O2. The addition of catalase restored cell viability, further validating the specificity of H2O2-induced cell death. Our results showed that U87 cells exhibited higher resistance to H2O2 compared to A375 cells, aligning with known tumor-specific variations in H2O2 metabolism. This novel approach of electrochemical H2O2 delivery holds significant potential for enhancing targeted cancer therapies, offering a controllable, precise, and efficient method for inducing tumor cell death while minimizing damage to healthy tissues. These results showcase the remarkable ability of PEDOT electrodes as a reliable electrocatalytic source of on-demand H2O2 in electrochemically-challenging biological environments.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) has emerged as a promising agent in cancer therapy due to its ability to induce oxidative stress selectively in tumor cells, however, its efficacy is severely hampered by H2O2 breakdown when administered via standard routes. Our study introduces an innovative electrochemical method for the controlled and continuous delivery of H2O2 directly to cancer cells, potentially enhancing the efficacy of cancer treatments. We investigated the performance of gold, titanium, stainless steel, and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), PEDOT, electrodes in generating H2O2, with PEDOT exhibiting superior consistency and efficiency in cell culture medium. The galvanostatic delivery of H2O2 demonstrated a dose-dependent reduction in cell viability for U87 glioblastoma and A375 melanoma cells, confirming the cytotoxic impact of H2O2. The addition of catalase restored cell viability, further validating the specificity of H2O2-induced cell death. Our results showed that U87 cells exhibited higher resistance to H2O2 compared to A375 cells, aligning with known tumor-specific variations in H2O2 metabolism. This novel approach of electrochemical H2O2 delivery holds significant potential for enhancing targeted cancer therapies, offering a controllable, precise, and efficient method for inducing tumor cell death while minimizing damage to healthy tissues. These results showcase the remarkable ability of PEDOT electrodes as a reliable electrocatalytic source of on-demand H2O2 in electrochemically-challenging biological environments.