Issue 35, 2023

A PD-L1 targeting nanotheranostic for effective photoacoustic imaging guided photothermal-immunotherapy of tumor

Abstract

Tumor immunotherapy has been partly effective for specific cancers. However, problems such as low immune response, limited antitumor effectiveness, and high antibody costs still persist. Synergistic therapeutic approaches, such as immune checkpoint inhibition in conjunction with photothermal therapy and photoacoustic imaging, are expected to provide approaches for more precise and efficient immunotherapy of tumors. Furthermore, developing alternatives for antibodies, such as PD-L1 aptamers and nanocarriers, would reduce the cost of tumor immunotherapy. Herein, we develop a PD-L1-targeting nanotheranostic to block immune checkpoints for synergistic photothermal-immunotherapy against tumors, along with effective photoacoustic (PA) imaging. The nanotheranostic is synthesized by the modification of gold nanorods (GNRs) with the PD-L1 aptamer (APDL1), which can sensitively and specifically recognize PD-L1 on the tumor cell surface, and mediate nanoparticle accumulation and strong PA signals in tumors. The aptamer is released from GNR through a competition of glutathione (GSH) and is then functionalized as a PD-L1 blockade. In collaboration with the concurrent photothermal therapy, antitumor immunity is significantly augmented by enhancing the filtration of matured dendritic cells and suppressing regulatory T cells, followed by the activation of cytotoxic T cells and inhibition of T cell exhaustion. Such a nanotheranostic modality effectively suppresses tumor growth in mice, representing an appealing platform for both biological imaging and photoimmunotherapy of tumors.

Graphical abstract: A PD-L1 targeting nanotheranostic for effective photoacoustic imaging guided photothermal-immunotherapy of tumor

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
03 Feb 2023
Accepted
08 Aug 2023
First published
10 Aug 2023

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2023,11, 8492-8505

A PD-L1 targeting nanotheranostic for effective photoacoustic imaging guided photothermal-immunotherapy of tumor

R. Chang, T. Li, Y. Fu, Z. Chen, Y. He, X. Sun, Y. Deng, Y. Zhong, Z. Xie, Y. Yang, J. Liu, X. Chen, H. Liu and Y. Zhao, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2023, 11, 8492 DOI: 10.1039/D3TB00221G

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