Recent Advances in Nanomaterial-Based Nanoplatforms for Chemodynamic Cancer Therapy

Triggered by the endogenous chemical energy in the tumor microenvironment (TME), chemodynamic therapy (CDT) as an emerging non-exogenous stimulant therapeutic modality has received increasing attention in recent years. The chemodynamic agents can convert internal hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) into the lethal reactive oxygen species (ROS) hydroxyl radicals (^•OH) for oncotherapy. Compared with other therapeutic modalities, CDT possesses many notable advantages, such as tumor-specific, highly selective, fewer systemic side effects, and no need for external stimulation. Nevertheless, mild acid pH, low H₂O₂ content, and overexpressed reducing substance in TME severely suppressed the CDT efficiency. With the rapid development of nanotechnology, some kinds of nanomaterials have been utilized with improved CDT efficiency. In particular, the excellent photo-, ultrasound-, magnetic-, and other stimuli-response properties of nanomaterials make it possible for combination cancer therapy of CDT with other therapeutic modalities, and it has shown superior anti-cancer activity than monotherapies. Therefore, it is necessary to summarize the application of nanomaterial-based chemodynamic cancer therapy. In this review, the various nanomaterials-based nanoplatforms for CDT and its combinational therapies are summarized and discussed, aiming to provide inspiration for the design of better-quality agents to promote the CDT development and lay the foundation for its future conversion to clinical applications.