In the last few decades, cancer immunotherapy becomes an important tactic for cancer treatment. However, some immunotherapy shows certain limitations including poor therapeutic targeting and unwanted side effects that hinder its use in clinics. Recently, several researchers are exploring an alternative methodology to overcome the above limitations. One of the emerging tracks in this field area is nano-immunotherapy which has gone through rapid progress and revealed considerable potentials to solve limitations related to immunotherapy. Targeted and stimuli-sensitive biocompatible nanoparticles (NPs) can be synthesized to deliver immunotherapeutic agents in their native conformations to the site of interest to enhance their antitumor activity and to enhance the survival rate of cancer patients. In this review, we have discussed cancer immunotherapy and the application of NPs in cancer immunotherapy, as a carrier of immunotherapeutic agents and as a direct immunomodulator.

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) uses the Fenton or Fenton-like reaction to yield toxic ‧OH following H₂O₂ → ‧OH for tumoral therapy. Unfortunately, H₂O₂ is often taken from the limited endogenous supply of H₂O₂ in cancer cells. A water oxidation CoFe Prussian blue (CFPB) nanoframes is presented to provide sustained, external energy-free self-supply of ‧OH from H₂O to process CDT and/or photothermal therapy (PTT). Unexpectedly, the as-prepared CFPB nanocubes with no near-infrared (NIR) absorption is transformed into CFPB nanoframes with NIR absorption due to the increased Fe³⁺-N ≡ C-Fe²⁺ composition through the proposed proton-induced metal replacement reactions. Surprisingly, both the CFPB nanocubes and nanoframes provide for the self-supply of O₂, H₂O_2, and ‧OH from H₂O, with the nanoframe outperforming in the production of ‧OH. Simulation analysis indicates separated active sites in catalyzation of water oxidation, oxygen reduction, and Fenton-like reactions from CFPB. The liposome-covered CFPB nanoframes prepared for controllable water-driven CDT for male tumoral mice treatments.

Herein, we employ a galvanic replacement approach to create atomically dispersed Au on degradable zero-valent Cu nanocubes for tumor treatments on female mice. Controlling the addition of precursor HAuCl₄allows for the fabrication of different atomic ratios of Au_xCu_y. X-ray absorption near edge spectra indicates that Au and Cu are the predominant oxidation states of zero valence. This suggests that the charges of Au and Cu remain unchanged after galvanic replacement. Specifically, Au_0.02Cu_0.98composition reveals the enhanced •OH generation following O₂ → H₂O₂ → •OH. The degradable Au_0.02Cu_0.98released Cu⁺and Cu²⁺resulting in oxygen reduction and Fenton-like reactions. Simulation studies indicate that Au single atoms boot zero-valent copper to reveal the catalytic capability of Au_0.02Cu_0.98for O₂ → H₂O₂ → •OH as well. Instead of using endogenous H₂O₂, H₂O₂can be sourced from the O₂in the air through the use of nanocubes. Notably, the Au_0.02Cu_0.98structure is degradable and renal-clearable.

In chronic wounds area, there is an abnormally low amount of extracellular matrix, which urges for the extra new biomimetic material to promote proper wound healing. Because of their unique characteristics such as inherent bioactivity, biocompatibility, biodegradability and mimicking the natural ECM, natural polymer and their derivative are widely explored as the functional active wound dressing and carrier of antimicrobial agents or growth factors to enhance wound healing. In this review, the wound healing application of polysaccharides, proteins and their derivatives as the active wound dressing and as the carriers of pharmaceutical agents was briefly reviewed.