New trends in brain tumor immunity with the opportunities of lymph nodes targeted drug delivery

J Nanobiotechnology. 2023 Aug 4;21(1):254. doi: 10.1186/s12951-023-02011-0.

Abstract

Lymph nodes targeted drug delivery is an attractive approach to improve cancer immunotherapy outcomes. Currently, the depth of understanding of afferent and efferent arms in brain immunity reveals the potential clinical applications of lymph node targeted drug delivery in brain tumors, e.g., glioblastoma. In this work, we systematically reviewed the microenvironment of glioblastoma and its structure as a basis for potential immunotherapy, including the glial-lymphatic pathway for substance exchange, the lymphatic drainage pathway from meningeal lymphatic vessels to deep cervical lymph nodes that communicate intra- and extracranial immunity, and the interaction between the blood-brain barrier and effector T cells. Furthermore, the carriers designed for lymph nodes targeted drug delivery were comprehensively summarized. The challenges and opportunities in developing a lymph nodes targeted delivery strategy for glioblastoma using nanotechnology are included at the end.

Keywords: Glioblastoma; Lymph nodes; Meningeal lymphatic vessels; Nanoparticles; Targeted drug delivery; Tumor immunity.

Publication types

  • Systematic Review
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Brain
  • Brain Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Brain Neoplasms* / metabolism
  • Drug Delivery Systems
  • Glioblastoma* / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Lymph Nodes / metabolism
  • Tumor Microenvironment