Interfacially Engineered ZnxMn1–xS@Polydopamine Hollow Nanospheres for Glutathione Depleting Photothermally Enhanced Chemodynamic Therapy

Fenton-like reactions driven by manganese-based nanostructures have been widely applied in cancer treatment owing to the intrinsic physiochemical properties of these nanostructures and their improved sensitivity to the tumor microenvironment. In this work, ZnxMn1–xS@polydopamine composites incorporating alloyed ZnxMn1–xS and polydopamine (PDA) were constructed, in which the Fenton-like reactions driven by Mn ions can be tuned by a controllable release of Mn ions in vitro and in vivo. As a result, the ZnxMn1–xS@PDA exhibited good biocompatibility with normal cells but was specifically toxic to cancer cells. In addition, the shell thickness of PDA was carefully investigated to obtain excellent specific toxicity to cancer cells and promote synergistic chemodynamic and photothermal therapies. Overall, this work highlights an alternative strategy for fabricating high-performance, multifunctional composite nanostructures for a combined cancer treatment.