Structurally diverse polydopamine-based nanomedicines for cancer therapy

Mussel-inspired polydopamine (PDA) has attracted substantial interest in materials synthesis, energy storage, environmental governance, and biomedical science since it was first reported in 2007. PDA, owing to its excellent biocompatibility and photothermal conversion efficiency (η), has been used in photothermal therapy alone and in combination with photodynamic therapy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and gas therapy for cancer treatment. This review summarizes the methods for synthesizing structurally diverse PDA-based nanomedicines and their applications in cancer therapy, to provide perspectives to guide future studies in cancer treatment.