CeO2 QDs anchored on MnO2 nanoflowers with multiple synergistic effects for amplified tumour therapy

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) is an emerging tumour-specific therapeutic technology. However, the relatively insufficient catalytic activity of CDT agents in the tumour microenvironment (TME) limits their biomedical application. In addition, severe hypoxia and glutathione (GSH) overexpression in the TME greatly limit the antitumour efficiency of monotherapy. Herein, a cancer cell membrane-camouflaged and ultrasmall CeO 2 -decorated MnO 2 (mMC) composite is developed for amplified CDT, photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT). Due to the homotypic targeting ability of cancer cell membranes, mMC nanoparticles preferentially accumulate in tumour tissue. In the TME, CeO 2 acts as a highly efficient CDT agent to convert endogenous H 2 O 2 to toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) for killing cancer cells. Meanwhile, MnO 2 irradiated with near-infrared (NIR) light displays prominent hyperthermia and ROS generation performance to perform PTT and PDT. Moreover, MnO 2 can produce oxygen to ameliorate hypoxia and deplete GSH to relieve the antioxidant capability of tumours, which is beneficial to the simultaneous augmentation of PDT and CDT. Most importantly, the catalytic activity of CeO 2 was greatly improved by hyperthermia. Consequently, a significantly enhanced therapeutic efficiency was obtained by the above multiple synergistic effects. This work provides a proof of concept for amplified tumour therapy by synchronously self-supplying oxygen, consuming GSH, and enhancing catalytic activity.