Hypoxia, a typical feature of solid tumors, remarkably restricts the efficiency of photodynamic therapy (PDT). Here, a carbon nitride (C3N4)-based multifunctional nanocomposite (PCCN) for light-driven water splitting was used to solve this problem. Carbon dots were first doped with C3N4 to enhance its red region absorption because red light could be used to trigger the in vivo water splitting process. Then, a polymer containing a protoporphyrin photosensitizer, a polyethylene glycol segment, and a targeting Arg-Gly-Asp motif was synthesized and introduced to carbon-dot-doped C3N4 nanoparticles. In vitro study showed that PCCN, thus obtained, could increase the intracellular O2 concentration and improve the reactive oxygen species generation in both hypoxic and normoxic environments upon light irradiation. Cell viability assay demonstrated that PCCN fully reversed the hypoxia-triggered PDT resistance, presenting a satisfactory growth inhibition of cancer cells in an O2 concentration of 1%. In vivo experiments also indicated that PCCN had superior ability to overcome tumor hypoxia. The use of water splitting materials exhibited great potential to improve the intratumoral oxygen level and ultimately reverse the hypoxia-triggered PDT resistance and tumor metastasis.

The ultimate goal in cancer therapy and diagnosis is to achieve highly specific targeting to cancer cells. Coated with the source cancer cell membrane specifically derived from the homologous tumors, the nanoparticles are identified with the self-recognition internalization by the source cancer cell lines in vitro and the highly tumor-selective targeting "homing" to the homologous tumor in vivo even in the competition of another heterologous tumor. As the result, MNP@DOX@CCCM nanovehicle showed strong potency for tumor treatment in vivo and the MR imaging. This bioinspired strategy shows great potential for precise therapy/diagnosis of various tumors merely by adjusting the cell membrane source accordingly on the nanoparticle surface.

Discovering advanced materials for regulating cell death is of great importance in the development of anticancer therapy. Herein, by harnessing the recently discovered oxidative stress regulation ability of p53 and the Fenton reaction inducing capability of metal-organic network (MON), MON encapsulated with p53 plasmid (MON-p53) was designed to eradicate cancer cells via ferroptosis/apoptosis hybrid pathway. After confirming the detailed mechanism of MON-p53 in evoking ferroptosis, we further discovered that MON-p53 mediated a "bystander effect" to further sensitize cancer cells toward the MON-p53 induced ferroptosis. A 75-day anticancer experiment indicated that MON-p53 treatment not only suppressed the tumor growth but also prolonged the life-span of tumor bearing mice. Owing to its ability to promote intracellular oxidative stress, MON-p53 decreased the blood metastasis, lung metastasis, and liver metastasis. As a consequence, discovering methods to induce cell ferroptosis would provide a new insight in designing anticancer materials.