Polyoxometalates emerging as multifunctional powerhouses in the battle against cancer

A variety of emerging anticancer therapeutic strategies, including chemodynamic, photothermal and combination therapies, are igniting considerable interests due to their precise targetability, minimal side effects, high efficacy and simplified treatment procedures. Polyoxometalates (POMs), as typical metallodrugs, offer many advantages in cancer treatment, including simple synthesis processes, a defined and tunable structure, reversible redox properties, photo-thermal conversion capabilities, and acid-responsive aggregation features. This review focus on the application of POM-based therapeutic agents for cancer treatment. An overview of the broad applications of POM- based agents in chemotherapy, chemodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy and different combination therapies is provided, and insights into the corresponding mechanisms are elucidated. The interactions between POM-based materials and substrates in the tumor microenvironment are described in detail. Aiming at accelerating the practical applications of POMs-based anticancer agents, current challenges and the future directions are discussed.