biostudies-literatureVelasco-Lozano SDiputación Foral de GipuzkoaConsejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaEuropean Research CouncilEusko JaurlaritzaMinisterio de Ciencia e Innovación59-67https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC8694326biostudies-literatureUnknown13(1)Catalysis-based approaches for the activation of anticancer agents hold considerable promise. These principally rely on the use of metal catalysts capable of deprotecting inactive precursors of organic drugs or transforming key biomolecules available in the cellular environment. Nevertheless, the efficiency of most of the schemes described so far is rather low, limiting the benefits of catalytic amplification as strategy for controlling the therapeutic effects of anticancer compounds. In the work presented here, we show that flavin reactivity within a hydrogel matrix provides a viable solution for the efficient catalytic activation and delivery of cisplatin, a worldwide clinically-approved inorganic chemotherapy agent. This is achieved by ionically adsorbing a flavin catalyst and a Pt(iv) Chemical scienceMetal substrate catalysis in the confined space for platinum drug delivery.PMC8694326PID2019-109111RB-I00RED2018-102471-TPIBA_2021_1_00342019-FELL-000018-01/62/2019MDM-2017-0720CEX2018-000867-SRTI2018-094398-B-I00818089CVU-267390RED2018-102403-TCTQ2016-80844-RERC-Co-2018 818089BIO2014-61838-EXPCastro SASanchez-Cano CLopez-Gallego FSalassa LBenitez-Mateos AIVelasco-Lozano SfalseMetal substrate catalysis in the confined space for platinum drug delivery.Catalysis-based approaches for the activation of anticancer agents hold considerable promise. These principally rely on the use of metal catalysts capable of deprotecting inactive precursors of organic drugs or transforming key biomolecules available in the cellular environment. Nevertheless, the efficiency of most of the schemes described so far is rather low, limiting the benefits of catalytic amplification as strategy for controlling the therapeutic effects of anticancer compounds. In the work presented here, we show that flavin reactivity within a hydrogel matrix provides a viable solution for the efficient catalytic activation and delivery of cisplatin, a worldwide clinically-approved inorganic chemotherapy agent. This is achieved by ionically adsorbing a flavin catalyst and a Pt(iv) 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z2021 Dec2025-04-04T12:27:30.742Z2022-02-11T15:31:39.406ZS-EPMC86943263505915110.1039/d1sc05151b