Programmed Catalytic Therapy-Mediated ROS Generation and T-Cell Infiltration in Lung Metastasis by a Dual Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) Nanoagent

A Redox-Triggered Polymeric Nanoparticle for Disrupting Redox Homeostasis and Enhanced Ferroptosis

Cancer cells possess an efficient redox system, enabling them to withstand oxidative damage induced by treatments, especially in hypoxia areas and ferroptosis can disrupt redox homeostasis in cancer cell. Herein, GSH-sensitive nanoparticles are constructed that induce ferroptosis by long-lasting GSH depletion and enhanced PDT. Carbonic anhydrase IX inhibitor, protoporphyrin IX (Por) complexed with Fe and epirubicin (EPI) are grafted to hyaluronic acid (HA) via disulfide bonds to obtain HSPFE and loaded xCT inhibitor SAS for fabricating SAS@HSPFE which is actively targeted to deep hypoxic tumor cells, and explosively releasing EPI, Por-Fe complex and SAS due to at high GSH concentration. Specifically, SAS inhibited the GSH biosynthesis, and the generation of ROS by Por and the involvement of Fe2+ in the Fenton reaction jointly facilitates oxidative stress. Besides, Fe2+ reacted with excess H2O2 to produce O2, which continuously fuels PDT. GPX4 and SLC7A11 related to antioxidant defense are down-regulated, while ACSL4 and TFRC promoting lipid peroxidation and ROS accumulation are up-regulated, which enhanced ferroptosis by amplifying oxidative stress and suppressing antioxidant defense. SAS@HSPFE NPs revealed highly efficient antitumor effect in vivo study. This study provides a novel approach to cancer treatment by targeting redox imbalance.

A Self-Cascading Catalytic Therapy and Antigen Capture Scaffold-Mediated T Cells Augments for Postoperative Brain Immunotherapy

The recruitment of T lymphocytes holds great potential for suppressing the most aggressive glioblastoma (GBM) recurrence with immunotherapy. However, the phenomenon of immune privilege and the generally low immunogenicity of vaccines often reduce the presence of lymphocytes within brain tumors, especially in brain tumor recurrence clusters. In this study, an implantable self-cascading catalytic therapy and antigen capture scaffold (CAS) that can boost catalytic therapy efficiency at post-surgery brain tumor and capture the antigens via urethane-polyethylene glycol-polypropylene glycol (PU-EO-PO) segments are developed for postoperative brain immunotherapy. The CAS consists of 3D-printed elastomers modified with iron (Fe2+) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs, MIL88) and acts as a programmed peroxide mimic in cancer cells to initiate the Fenton reaction and sustain ROS production. With the assistance of chloroquine (CQ), autophagy is inhibited through lysosome deacidification, which interrupts the self-defense mechanism, further enhances cytotoxicity, and releases antigens. Then, CAS containing PU-EO-PO groups acts as an antigen depot to detain autologous tumor-associated antigens to dendritic cells maturation and T cell augments for sustained immune stimulation. CAS enhanced the immune response to postoperative brain tumors and improved survival through brain immunotherapy.

Immunoadjuvant-functionalized metal-organic frameworks: synthesis and applications in tumor immune modulation

Cancer immunotherapy, which leverages the body's immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells, has made significant progress, particularly in the treatment of metastatic tumors. However, challenges such as drug stability and off-target effects still limit its clinical success. To address these issues, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as promising nanocarriers in cancer immunotherapy. MOFs have unique porous structure, excellent drug loading capacity, and tunable surface modification properties. MOFs not only enhance drug delivery efficiency but also allow for precise control of drug release. They reduce off-target effects and significantly improve targeting and therapy efficacy. As research deepens, MOFs' effectiveness as drug carriers has been refined. When combined with immunoadjuvants or anticancer drugs, MOFs further stimulate the immune response. This improves the specificity of immune attacks on tumors. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the applications of MOFs in cancer immunotherapy. It focuses on synthesis, drug loading strategies, and surface modifications. It also analyzes their role in enhancing immunotherapy effectiveness. By integrating current research, we aim to provide insights for the future development of immunoadjuvant-functionalized MOFs, accelerating their clinical application for safer and more effective cancer treatments.

Advancing brain immunotherapy through functional nanomaterials

Glioblastoma (GBM), a highly aggressive brain tumor, poses significant treatment challenges due to its highly immunosuppressive microenvironment and the brain immune privilege. Immunotherapy activating the immune system and T lymphocyte infiltration holds great promise against GBM. However, the brain's low immunogenicity and the difficulty of crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) hinder therapeutic efficacy. Recent advancements in immune-actuated particles for targeted drug delivery have shown the potential to overcome these obstacles. These particles interact with the BBB by rapidly and reversibly disrupting its structure, thereby significantly enhancing targeting and penetrating delivery. The BBB targeting also minimizes potential long-term damage. At GBM, the particles demonstrated effective chemotherapy, chemodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy (PTT), photodynamic therapy (PDT), radiotherapy, or magnetotherapy, facilitating tumor disruption and promoting antigen release. Additionally, components of the delivery system retained autologous tumor-associated antigens and presented them to dendritic cells (DCs), ensuring prolonged immune activation. This review explores the immunosuppressive mechanisms of GBM, existing therapeutic strategies, and the role of nanomaterials in enhancing immunotherapy. We also discuss innovative particle-based approaches designed to traverse the BBB by mimicking innate immune functions to improve treatment outcomes for brain tumors.

Selectively cross-linked hydrogel-based cocktail drug delivery micro-chip for colon cancer combinatorial drug screening using AI-CSR platform for precision medicine

Cancer, ranked as the second leading cause of global mortality with a prevalence of 1 in 6 deaths, necessitates innovative approaches for effective treatment. Combinatorial drug therapy for cancer treatment targets several key pathways simultaneously and potentially enhances anti-cancer efficacy without intolerable side effects. However, it demands precise and accurate control of drug-dose combinations and their release. In this study, we demonstrated a selectively cross-linked hydrogel-based platform that can quantify and release drugs simultaneously for in-parallel cocktail drug screening. PDMS was used as the flow channel substrate and the poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel array was formed by UV exposure using the photomask. Employing our platform, cocktails of anticancer drugs are precisely loaded and simultaneously released in-parallel into HCT-116 colon cancer cells, facilitating combinatorial drug screening. The integration of an artificial intelligence-based complex system response (AI-CSR) platform successfully identifies optimal drug-dose combinations from a pool of ten approved drugs. Notably, our cocktail drug chip demonstrates exceptional efficiency, screening 155 drug-dose combinations within a brief two and a half hours, a marked improvement over traditional methods. Furthermore, the device exhibits low drug consumption, requiring a mere 1 μL per patch of chip. Thus, our developed PDMS drug-loaded hydrogel platform presents a novel and expedited approach to quantifying drug concentrations, promising to be a faster, efficient and more precise approach for conducting cocktail drug screening experiments.

Prospects, advances and biological applications of MOF-based platform for the treatment of lung cancer

Nowadays in our society, lung cancer is exhibiting a high mortality rate and threat to human health. Conventional diagnostic techniques used in the field of lung cancer often necessitate the use of extensive instrumentation, exhibit a tendency for false positives, and are not suitable for widespread early screening purposes. Conventional approaches to treat lung cancer primarily involve surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. However, these broad-spectrum treatments suffer from drawbacks such as imprecise targeting and significant side effects, which restrict their widespread use. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted significant attention in the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer owing to their tunable electronic properties and structures and potential applications. These porous nanomaterials are formed through the intricate assembly of metal centers and organic ligands, resulting in highly versatile frameworks. Compared to traditional diagnostic and therapeutic modalities, MOFs can improve the sensitivity of lung cancer biomarker detection in the diagnosis of lung cancer. In terms of treatment, they can significantly reduce side effects and improve therapeutic efficacy. Hence, this perspective provides an overview concerning the advancements made in the field of MOFs as potent biosensors for lung cancer biomarkers. It also delves into the latest research dealing with the use of MOFs as carriers for drug delivery. Additionally, it explores the applications of MOFs in various therapeutic approaches, including chemodynamic therapy, photodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy, and immunotherapy. Furthermore, this review comprehensively analyses potential applications of MOFs as biosensors in the field of lung cancer diagnosis and combines different therapeutic approaches aiming for enhanced therapeutic efficacy. It also presents a concise overview of the existing obstacles, aiming to pave the way for future advancements in lung cancer diagnosis and treatment.

A Self-Cascade Penetrating Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Mediated by Near-Infrared II Cell Membrane-Disrupting Nanoflakes via Detained Dendritic Cells

Immunotherapy can potentially suppress the highly aggressive glioblastoma (GBM) by promoting T lymphocyte infiltration. Nevertheless, the immune privilege phenomenon, coupled with the generally low immunogenicity of vaccines, frequently hampers the presence of lymphocytes within brain tumors, particularly in brain tumors. In this study, the membrane-disrupted polymer-wrapped CuS nanoflakes that can penetrate delivery to deep brain tumors via releasing the cell-cell interactions, facilitating the near-infrared II (NIR II) photothermal therapy, and detaining dendritic cells for a self-cascading immunotherapy are developed. By convection-enhanced delivery, membrane-disrupted amphiphilic polymer micelles (poly(methoxypoly(ethylene glycol)-benzoic imine-octadecane, mPEG-b-C18) with CuS nanoflakes enhances tumor permeability and resides in deep brain tumors. Under low-power NIR II irradiation (0.8 W/cm2), the intense heat generated by well-distributed CuS nanoflakes actuates the thermolytic efficacy, facilitating cell apoptosis and the subsequent antigen release. Then, the positively charged polymer after hydrolysis of the benzoic-imine bond serves as an antigen depot, detaining autologous tumor-associated antigens and presenting them to dendritic cells, ensuring sustained immune stimulation. This self-cascading penetrative immunotherapy amplifies the immune response to postoperative brain tumors but also enhances survival outcomes through effective brain immunotherapy.

Lung metastasis-Harnessed in-Situ adherent porous organic nanosponge-mediated antigen capture for A self-cascaded detained dendritic cells and T cell infiltration

The infiltration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes promises to suppress the most irresistible metastatic tumor for immunotherapy, yet immune privilege and low immunogenic responses in these aggressive clusters often restrict lymphocyte recruitment. Here, an in situ adherent porous organic nanosponge (APON) doubles as organ selection agent and antigen captor to overcome immune privilege is developed. With selective organ targeting, the geometric effect of APON composed of disc catechol-functionalized covalent organic framework (COF) boosts the drug delivery to lung metastases. Along with a self-cascaded immune therapy, the therapeutic agents promote tumor release of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), and then, in situ deposition of gels to capture these antigens. Furthermore, APON with catechol analogs functions as a reservoir of antigens and delivers autologous DAMPs to detain dendritic cells, resulting in a sustained enhancement of immunity. This disc sponges (APON) at lung metastasis as antigen reservoirs and immune modulators effectively suppress the tumor in 60 days and enhanced the survival rate.

Nanoplatform-Mediated Autophagy Regulation and Combined Anti-Tumor Therapy for Resistant Tumors

The overall cancer incidence and death toll have been increasing worldwide. However, the conventional therapies have some obvious limitations, such as non-specific targeting, systemic toxic effects, especially the multidrug resistance (MDR) of tumors, in which, autophagy plays a vital role. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new treatments to reduce adverse reactions, improve the treatment efficacy and expand their therapeutic indications more effectively and accurately. Combination therapy based on autophagy regulators is a very feasible and important method to overcome tumor resistance and sensitize anti-tumor drugs. However, the less improved efficacy, more systemic toxicity and other problems limit its clinical application. Nanotechnology provides a good way to overcome this limitation. Co-delivery of autophagy regulators combined with anti-tumor drugs through nanoplatforms provides a good therapeutic strategy for the treatment of tumors, especially drug-resistant tumors. Notably, the nanomaterials with autophagy regulatory properties have broad therapeutic prospects as carrier platforms, especially in adjuvant therapy. However, further research is still necessary to overcome the difficulties such as the safety, biocompatibility, and side effects of nanomedicine. In addition, clinical research is also indispensable to confirm its application in tumor treatment.

Nanomedicine for cancer targeted therapy with autophagy regulation

Nanoparticles have unique physical and chemical properties and are currently widely used in disease diagnosis, drug delivery, and new drug development in biomedicine. In recent years, the role of nanomedical technology in cancer treatment has become increasingly obvious. Autophagy is a multi-step degradation process in cells and an important pathway for material and energy recovery. It is closely related to the occurrence and development of cancer. Because nanomaterials are highly targeted and biosafe, they can be used as carriers to deliver autophagy regulators; in addition to their favorable physicochemical properties, nanomaterials can be employed to carry autophagy inhibitors, reducing the breakdown of chemotherapy drugs by cancer cells and thereby enhancing the drug's efficacy. Furthermore, certain nanomaterials can induce autophagy, triggering oxidative stress-mediated autophagy enhancement and cell apoptosis, thus constraining the progression of cancer cells.There are various types of nanoparticles, including liposomes, micelles, polymers, metal-based materials, and carbon-based materials. The majority of clinically applicable drugs are liposomes, though other materials are currently undergoing continuous optimization. This review begins with the roles of autophagy in tumor treatment, and then focuses on the application of nanomaterials with autophagy-regulating functions in tumor treatment.

In Situ Forming of Nitric Oxide and Electric Stimulus for Nerve Therapy by Wireless Chargeable Gold Yarn-Dynamos

Endogenous signals, namely nitric oxide (NO) and electrons, play a crucial role in regulating cell fate as well as the vascular and neuronal systems. Unfortunately, utilizing NO and electrical stimulation in clinical settings can be challenging due to NO's short half-life and the invasive electrodes required for electrical stimulation. Additionally, there is a lack of tools to spatiotemporally control gas release and electrical stimulation. To address these issues, an "electromagnetic messenger" approach that employs on-demand high-frequency magnetic field (HFMF) to trigger NO release and electrical stimulation for restoring brain function in cases of traumatic brain injury is introduced. The system comprises a NO donor (poly(S-nitrosoglutathione), pGSNO)-conjugated on a gold yarn-dynamos (GY) and embedded in an implantable silk in a microneedle. When subjected to HFMF, conductive GY induces eddy currents that stimulate the release of NO from pGSNO. This process significantly enhances neural stem cell (NSC) synapses' differentiation and growth. The combined strategy of using NO and electrical stimulation to inhibit inflammation, angiogenesis, and neuronal interrogation in traumatic brain injury is demonstrated in vivo.

Programmed T cells infiltration into lung metastases with harnessing dendritic cells in cancer immunotherapies by catalytic antigen-capture sponges

T lymphocytes served as immune surveillance to suppress metastases by physically interacting with cancer cells. Whereas tumor immune privilege and heterogeneity protect immune attack, it limits immune cell infiltration into tumors, especially in invasive metastatic clusters. Here, a catalytic antigen-capture sponge (CAS) containing the catechol-functionalized copper-based metal organic framework (MOF) and chloroquine (CQ) for programming T cells infiltration is reported. The intravenously injected CAS accumulates at the tumor via the folic acid-mediated target and margination effect. In metastases, Fenton-like reaction induced by copper ions of CAS disrupts the intracellular redox potential, i.e., chemodynamic therapy (CDT), thereby reducing glutathione (GSH) levels. Furthermore, CQ helps inhibit autophagy by inducing lysosomal deacidification during CDT. This process leads to the breakdown of self-defense mechanisms, which exacerbates cytotoxicity. The therapies promote the liberation of tumor-associated antigens, such as neoantigens and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Subsequently, the catechol groups present on CAS perform as antigen reservoirs and transport the autologous tumor-associated antigens to dendritic cells, resulting in prolonged immune activation. The CAS, which is capable of forming in-situ, serves as an antigen reservoir in CDT-mediated lung metastasis and leads to the accumulation of immune cells in metastatic clusters, thus hindering metastatic tumors.