Surface engineering-mediated ferrocene nanozyme for synergistic photothermal and hyperthermia-enhanced tumor...

Nanozyme-driven catalytic therapy has emerged as a highly promising approach for targeting cancerous growths. However, its therapeutic potential is often constrained by the insufficient catalytic efficiency of nanozymes, which severely limits their translational applications in tumor therapy. The biocompatibility of nanozymes is an important factor affecting their clinical translation, but it rarely gets attention. Herein, a versatile nanozyme (FcP NPs@PDA) for synergistic photothermal and hyperthermia augmented tumor catalytic therapy was constructed by modifying biomimetic polydopamine (PDA) onto the surface of ferrocene nanoparticles. Notably, the PDA modification could not only elevate the biocompatibility of ferrocene nanoparticles but also boost the peroxidase-mimicking activity. Additionally, the PDA coating not only enhances photothermal conversion efficiency but also reinforces the catalytic performance of FcP NPs@PDA. This dual effect leads to a marked increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Both the in vitro and in vivo antitumor efficacy experimental results indicate FcP NPs@PDA achieves substantial tumor suppression duo to photothermal-enhanced catalytic therapy. This work highlights the vast potential of modifying nanozyme surfaces to boost their catalytic efficacy in improving cancerous tumor catalytic treatments.