Recent advances in manganese nanomaterials (MnNMs) for controlled gas release and cancer therapy

Gas therapy (GT) is a recently emerging approach to cancer treatment that modulates the tumor microenvironment (TME) and induces specific cytotoxicity through endogenous gas molecules. Manganese-based nanomaterials (MnNMs) are gaining significant interest as promising platforms for gas delivery and activation due to their catalytic flexibility, biocompatibility, and redox properties. In this review, we have summarized recent advances in the design and applications of MnNMs in therapeutic gas-mediated cancer therapy, highlighting their roles in generating and enabling the targeted release of therapeutic gases, including hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H₂), and carbon dioxide (CO₂). We elucidated the mechanism by which MnNMs interact with the TME to regulate redox homeostasis, trigger gas release, and synergistically enhance programmed cell death, chemodynamic, photothermal, and sonodynamic therapies in response to external stimuli. This comprehensive review aims to elucidate the current state, potential, and prospective developments of gas therapy.