Chemodynamic Therapy: Tumour Microenvironment-Mediated Fenton and Fenton-like Reactions

Abstract

Tailored to the specific tumour microenvironment, which involves acidity and the overproduction of hydrogen peroxide, advanced nanotechnology has been introduced to generate the hydroxyl radical (^. OH) primarily for tumour chemodynamic therapy (CDT) through the Fenton and Fenton-like reactions. Numerous studies have investigated the enhancement of CDT efficiency, primarily the increase in the amount of ^. OH generated. Notably, various strategies based on the Fenton reaction have been employed to enhance ^. OH generation, including nanomaterials selection, modulation of the reaction environment, and external energy fields stimulation, which are discussed systematically in this Minireview. Furthermore, the potential challenges and the methods used to facilitate CDT effectiveness are also presented to support this cutting-edge research area.

Keywords: Fenton reaction; chemodynamic therapy; external energy fields; nanomaterials selection; reaction environment.