Carrier-Free Small-Molecule Drug Nanoassembly Elicits Chemoimmunotherapy via Co-inhibition of PD-L1/mTOR.
ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2020;
3:4543-4555. [PMID:
35025453 DOI:
10.1021/acsabm.0c00470]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The growth and progression of tumor are promoted by multiple cytokines, which are overactivated in the tumor microenvironment. Co-inhibiting the activities of these cytokines is expected to realize the enhanced therapeutic outcome of cancer. However, reasonable combinational strategies are still limited. Herein, a nanoassembly structure that was totally formed by the assembly of small-molecule inhibitors is constructed for the co-inhibition of mTOR and PD-L1. Together with the NIR dye IR783, Rapa and (+)-JQ1 assemble to form a stable nanoassembly structure with controllable particle size. The JQ1/Rapa-IR783 nanoassembly efficiently downregulates the PD-L1 level as well as the level of PKM2. The combination of Rapa and (+)-JQ1 enhances the apoptosis of cancer cells compared with that following treatment with Rapa or (+)-JQ1 alone. In vivo assays conducted to evaluate tumor growth inhibition mediated by the nanoassemblies revealed that the simultaneous delivery of Rapa and (+)-JQ1 not only inhibited the growth of primary tumors but also alleviated pulmonary metastasis by reinvigorating the immune system as the result of the downregulation of both mTOR and PD-L1. It demonstrates that the nanoassembly structure is a promising candidate for the codelivery of immunomodulator for enhanced cancer immunotherapy.
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