Achieving Complete Tumor Clearance: A Minimalist Manganese Hydrogel for Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Guided Synergetic Microwave Ablation and Chemodynamic Therapy

The combination of microwave ablation (MWA) and chemodynamic therapy (CDT) presents a promising strategy for complete eradication of residual tumor after MWA. However, it remains challenging and urgent to develop a facile, biocompatible, and imaging-guided platform for the achievement of this goal. Herein, a minimalist manganese hydrogel (ALG-Mn hydrogel) is proposed for synergistic MWA and CDT to completely eradicate tumor in vivo. The ALG-Mn hydrogel is prepared using a simple mixing method and exhibits excellent syringeability, remarkable microwave sensitivity, and potent Fenton-like activity. By assisting in MWA procedures, the ALG-Mn hydrogel enables both elimination of primary tumor mass through enhanced MWA efficacy and eradication of potential residual tumor tissues via robust CDT. This approach achieves complete tumor clearance without additional drug loading. Furthermore, the paramagnetic Mn2+ component allows real-time dynamic visualization of the ALG-Mn hydrogel at the tumor site via magnetic resonance imaging. To the best of knowledge, the proposed ALG-Mn hydrogel represents the minimalist biocompatible platform for imaging-guided synergistic MWA and CDT toward achieving complete tumor clearance. A minimalist manganese alginate (ALG-Mn) hydrogel is developed via a facile one-pot mixing method for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided synergistic microwave ablation (MWA) and chemodynamic therapy (CDT) against tumors. The ALG-Mn hydrogel-assisted MWA not only eliminates the primary tumor mass through enhanced MWA, but also eradicates the potential residual tumor tissues via potent CDT, thereby achieving complete tumor clearance.image