Activatable polymer nanoagonist for second near-infrared photothermal immunotherapy of cancer

Nat Commun. 2021 Feb 2;12(1):742. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-21047-0.

Abstract

Nanomedicine in combination with immunotherapy offers opportunities to treat cancer in a safe and effective manner; however, remote control of immune response with spatiotemporal precision remains challenging. We herein report a photothermally activatable polymeric pro-nanoagonist (APNA) that is specifically regulated by deep-tissue-penetrating second near-infrared (NIR-II) light for combinational photothermal immunotherapy. APNA is constructed from covalent conjugation of an immunostimulant onto a NIR-II semiconducting transducer through a labile thermo-responsive linker. Upon NIR-II photoirradiation, APNA mediates photothermal effect, which not only triggers tumor ablation and immunogenic cell death but also initiates the cleavage of thermolabile linker to liberate caged agonist for in-situ immune activation in deep solid tumor (8 mm). Such controlled immune regulation potentiates systemic antitumor immunity, leading to promoted cytotoxic T lymphocytes and helper T cell infiltration in distal tumor, lung and liver to inhibit cancer metastasis. Thereby, the present work illustrates a generic strategy to prepare pro-immunostimulants for spatiotemporal regulation of cancer nano-immunotherapy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Drug Delivery Systems / methods
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy / methods*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Nanotechnology
  • Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Photothermal Therapy / methods
  • Polymers / chemistry*
  • Spatio-Temporal Analysis
  • T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic

Substances

  • Polymers