Hollow MnO2-Based Nanoprobes for Enhanced Photothermal/Photodynamic /Chemodynamic Co-Therapy of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

The effect of monotherapy in cancer is frequently influenced by the tumor's unique hypoxic microenvironment, insufficient drug concentration at the treatment site, and tumour cells' increased drug tolerance. In this work, we expect to design a novel therapeutic nanoprobe with the ability to solve these problems and improve the efficacy of antitumor therapy. We have prepared a hollow manganese dioxide nanoprobes loaded with photosensitive drug IR780 for the photothermal/photodynamic/chemodynamic co-therapy of liver cancer. The nanoprobe demonstrates efficient thermal transformation ability under a single laser irradiation, and under the synergistic influence of photo heat, accelerates the Fenton/ Fenton-like reaction efficiency based on Mn2+ ions to produce more ·OH under the synergistic effect of photo heat. Moreover, the oxygen released under the degradation of manganese dioxide further promotes the ability of photosensitive drugs to produce singlet oxygen (ROS). The nanoprobe has been found to efficiently destroy tumour cells in vivo and in vitro experiments when used in combination with photothermal/photodynamic/ chemodynamic modes of treatment under laser irradiation. In all, this research shows that a therapeutic strategy based on this nanoprobe could be a viable alternative for cancer treatment in the near future.