Hollow MnO2 for tumor-targeting chemo-photodynamic therapy for melanoma

Hollow manganese dioxide (H-MnO2) has been a popular nano-platform in widespread applications, and the extraordinary properties of H-MnO2 include the high capacity for drug loading and the unique ability to adjust hypoxic tumor microenvironment (TME), which plays a significant role in treating the tumor. Herein, the H-MnO2 structure was prepared by using the silica as a template. The H-MnO2 would then be co-loaded with a chemotherapy drug temozolomide (TMZ) and a photodynamic agent IR780. In addition, the H-MnO2 was coated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and modified with RGD peptide sequence (ACDCRGDCFCG) to achieve high stabilization and targeting therapy. In short, the resulted TMZ/IR780/H-MnO2@PEG-RGD would be a promising nanoparticle to treat melanoma through the combined chemo-photodynamic therapy and adjustment to hypoxic TME.