Metal-polyphenol network-encapsulated Prussian blue nanoparticles for enhanced photothermal/chemodynamic combined therapy of cancer

Cancer remains a significant global health concern. Traditional treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, often cause severe side effects due to their lack of specificity. In recent years, nanomedicine-based approaches, particularly photothermal therapy (PTT) and chemodynamic therapy (CDT), have emerged as promising strategies for the precise treatment of tumors. However, the efficacy of PTT is often limited by the overexpression of heat shock proteins (HSPs) in cancer cells, which confer thermoresistance. To address this issue, we developed a multifunctional nanosystem called PB@MPN. This nanosystem encapsulates Prussian blue nanoparticles (PB NPs) within a metal-polyphenol network (MPN) formed from Fe 3 + and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). This system enhances photothermal conversion and enables CDT via Fenton reactions catalyzed by Fe 2+ , which is reduced from Fe 3+ by EGCG. Furthermore, EGCG effectively suppresses HSP expression, overcoming thermoresistance and improving therapeutic outcomes. In vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that PB@MPN exhibits excellent biocompatibility and significantly promotes tumor ablation under near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation. These results suggest that PB@MPN has great potential as a versatile nanoplatform for combined photothermal and chemodynamic cancer therapy.