@article{Li2026, 
author = {Shiqing Li and Yuantao Wen and Mingdian Yu and Zhaowei Chen and Chunhua Lu},
title = {Immuno-enhancing nanoplatform: Hollow manganese dioxide-integrated polydopamine/graphitic carbon nitride enables sustained STING/PDT synergy},
year = {2026},
journal = {Nano Research},
volume = {19},
number = {8},
pages = {94908807},
keywords = {immunogenic cell death, photodynamic immunotherapy, cGAS/STING pathway, immuno-enhancing nanoplatform, synergistic antitumor immunity},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/NR.2026.94908807},
doi = {10.26599/NR.2026.94908807},
abstract = {The clinical application of stimulator of interferon genes (STING) agonists in cancer immunotherapy has been limited by inefficient systemic delivery, off-target toxicity and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. In this study, we developed a multifunctional nanoplatform featuring a hollow manganese dioxide (H-MnO2) as a core sequentially coated with polydopamine (PDA) and graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) layers, termed as HMPC. HMPC mediates antitumor immunity through three coordinated mechanisms. (i) H-MnO2 decomposes in response to glutathione (GSH), releasing Mn2+ to activate STING pathway, and catalyzing H2O2 to produce oxygen, effectively alleviating hypoxia-mediated immunosuppression in the tumors. (ii) The hollow structure enhances electron transfer between g-C3N4 and PDA, enabling robust reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation under 660 nm irradiation, which synergizes with Mn2+-mediated Fenton-like reactions for cooperative ROS amplification. (iii) The ROS burst potently induces immunogenic cell death (ICD), releasing double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) that cooperates with Mn2+ to sustain STING activation. In vivo, HMPC triggers a STING-dependent immune signaling cascade, enhancing tumor infiltration of CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, and M1-type macrophages, thereby promoting tumor eradication. By spatiotemporally coupling STING activation with photodynamic therapy, HMPC demonstrates multimodal responsiveness and synergistic efficacy, offering a potential strategy to overcome current barriers in cancer immunotherapy.}
}