Multifunctional Nanoparticles-Mediated PTT/PDT Synergistic Immune Activation and Antitumor Activity Combined with Anti-PD-L1 Immunotherapy for Breast Cancer Treatment

Abstract

Cunqing Kong,1,* Banghao Xu,2,* Guanhua Qiu,1 Meng Wei,2 Mengqi Zhang,3 Shengxian Bao,1 Jiali Tang,1 Lequn Li,2 JunJie Liu1 1Department of Ultrasound, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Interventional Therapy Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: JunJie Liu, Department of ultrasound, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, 71 Hedi Road, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected] Lequn Li, Department of hepatobiliary surgery, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, 71 Hedi Road, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]: Photoimmunotherapy is a breakthrough treatment for malignant tumors. Its uniqueness is that it uses antibody mediated targeted delivery to achieve high tumor specificity and uses laser-activated biophysical mechanism to accurately induce the rapid death of cancer cells and avoid damaging the surrounding normal tissues.Methods: In this paper, an iron-based micelle was designed to encapsulate the photothermal agent indocyanine green (ICG) and a cyclic tripeptide of arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (cRGD) as targeted multifunctional ICG@SANPs-cRGD nanoparticles for combined photothermal/photodynamic/immune therapy of breast cancer.Results: The experimental results show that ICG@SANPs-cRGD nanoparticles have good biocompatibility and photothermal conversion ability. Photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) based on ICG@SANPs-cRGD can not only inhibit the proliferation, invasion and migration of tumor cells, but also directly kill tumor cells by inducing apoptosis or necrosis. Dual-mode fluorescence light (FL) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) imaging in mice confirmed the selective accumulation at tumor sites and imaging ability of ICG@SANPs-cRGD. PTT/PDT combined with Anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy based on ICG@SANPs-cRGD mediated the immunogenic cell death (ICD) of tumor cells by regulating the expression of immune-related indicators and activated the body’s immune response mechanism, which enhanced the immunotherapy effect of immune checkpoint block (ICB). PTT/PDT combined with Anti-PD-L1 therapy not only prevented the progression of the primary tumor but also inhibited the distant metastasis of the tumor.Discussion: This study explores the biomedical application of PTT/PDT combined with Anti-PD-L1 based on ICG@SANPs-cRGD nanomaterials for breast cancer treatment and demonstrates the potential of ICG@SANPs-cRGD as a multifunctional therapeutic platform for future cancer therapy.Keywords: photodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy, immune checkpoint blocking, immune enhancement effect

Keywords

• photodynamic therapy
• photothermal therapy
• immune checkpoint blocking
• immune enhancement effect