Schottky barrier in pea-like Au@Bi2S3 nanoreactor enabling efficient photodynamic therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a leading cause of tumor-related mortality globally, demands innovative therapeutic strategies to overcome limitations of conventional treatments. Photodynamic therapy (PDT), reliant on reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy for neoplastic diseases. But it is constrained by inefficient charge separation in traditional photosensitizers. Here, we engineered a pea-like Au@Bi2S3 nanoreactors by anchoring gold nanoparticles onto Bi2S3 surfaces to establish a Schottky junction with interfacial Au-S covalent bonds, which suppresses electron-hole recombination and amplifies ROS production. Under light irradiation, Au@Bi2S3 exhibited remarkable inhibitory efficacy against HepG-2 cells, producing twice the ROS yield of Bi2S3. Transcriptomic analysis via RNA sequencing identified activation of the Hippo/Yap signaling pathway, which orchestrated endoplasmic reticulum stress and autophagic flux in malignant cells, ultimately driving apoptotic elimination of HepG-2 populations. These findings delineate a mechanistic paradigm wherein Schottky junction engineering potentiates ROS-mediated cytotoxicity, thereby advancing precise photodynamic interventions for HCC management.

Keywords

• Nanoreactor
• Schottky barrier
• Reactive oxygen species
• Hepatocellular carcinoma
• Hippo/Yap signaling pathway