The most important aspect of chemodynamic therapy (CDT) is the harnessing of Fenton or Fenton-like chemistry for cancer therapy within the tumor microenvironment, which occurs because of the moderate acidity and overexpressed H2O2 in the tumor microenvironment. Hydroxyl radicals (•OH) produced within tumor cells via Fenton and Fenton-like reactions cause cancer cell death. Reactive oxygen species-mediated CDT demonstrates a desired anticancer impact without the need for external stimulation or the development of drug resistance. Cancer therapy based on CDT is known as a viable cancer therapy modality. This review discusses the most recent CDT advancements and provides some typical instances. As a result, potential methods for further improving CDT efficiency under the guidance of Fenton chemistry are offered.
Keywords: Fenton reaction; Fenton-like reaction; ROS; TME; cancer therapy; chemodynamic therapy; combination therapy; inorganic nanoparticles; nanoagent; nanomaterials.
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Unfortunately, conventional treatments do not greatly increase the quality of life or survival rate of cancer patients. So, coming up with new, less invasive ways to treat cancer would be an important way to increase the number of cancer patients who survive. Chemodynamic therapy, a new cancer treatment modality, uses intracellular hydrogen peroxide as a fantastic ‘Trojan horse’ to produce highly toxic hydroxyl radicals (•OH) to kill cancer cells. This review discusses the most recent advancements in chemodynamic therapy and provides some typical instances.