Metal-Free Carbon Dots as Photon-Triggered Pyroptosis Inducers for Enhanced Cancer Immunotherapy

Pyroptosis, a highly immunogenic form of programmed cell death, is characterized by the release of proinflammatory cytokines. Recently, researchers have focused on the use of light to control pyroptosis induction, an approach that holds great promise as being relatively noninvasive and allows for precise spatiotemporal control. Photon-triggered pyroptosis (PTP) has made great progress in cancer immunotherapy. This concept article highlights the recent developments of metal-free nanomaterials (especially carbon dots) mediated-PTP, including the synthetic routes, their photophysical properties and applications in the area of cancer immunotherapy.