Advancing cancer treatment with nanozyme frameworks: Integrating photothermal, photodynamic, sonodynamic, and chemodynamic therapies

Cancer is considered a serious threat to human life and one of the major leading causes of death in the world. As a critical medical challenge in developing and developed countries globally, progress in the design of theranostic nanomedicine is associated with the control of temporal-spatial variability, enhancing the site-specific therapy, and reducing the toxicity to normal tissue. As the primary noninvasive cancer treatment technique, photothermal therapy through radiation absorption in the near-infrared region generates hyperthermia for the ablation of cancerous cells. Photothermal therapy combined with other therapeutic techniques, including chemodynamic, photodynamic, and sonodynamic, has synergistic and enhanced effects on cancer therapy. Nanozymes, as intrinsic multienzyme mimics, can be robust cancer nanotherapeutics owing to the dual effect of catalytic functions and physicochemical advantages of nanomaterials. Nanozymes possess remarkable stability, precise penetrability, exceptional specificity, outstanding recoverability, and minimal toxicity. These attributes make them immensely powerful for therapeutic applications. In light of the significance of multifunctional nanozymes and their increasing focus on catalytic therapy for cancer tumors through reactive oxygen species (ROS), we have compiled a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in various photothermal-based assays utilizing nanozymes. Notably, our analysis reveals that incorporating nanozymes in PTT enhances the generation of ROS, leading to improved therapeutic efficacy against the tumor. In summary, this comprehensive overview highlights the significance of multifunctional nanozymes in advancing photothermal-based assays for cancer treatment. The findings underscore the potential of these innovative approaches to improve treatment precision and effectiveness while reducing adverse effects on healthy tissues.