Trends in Chemistry
ReviewNanoparticle Phototherapy in the Era of Cancer Immunotherapy
Section snippets
Exploiting Phototherapy for Cancer Immunotherapy
Phototherapy, including PDT (see Glossary) and PTT, is emerging as an important class of cancer treatment modalities. In a typical PDT or PTT regimen, patients are given a photoreactive agent systemically or topically and light is applied to the affected area to initiate photoreactions that eradicate malignant lesions (Figure 1) [1]. Since the activation is confined to tumor regions, phototherapy has high selectivity and low systemic toxicity. In PDT (Figure 1A), the photoreactive agent is a
Nanoplatforms for PDT
For conventional PDT, a common target is the tumor vasculature [13]. This is often achieved by using poorly extravasated PS and a short drug–light interval so that photoreactions focus on the lumen of the tumor vasculature, causing endothelial cell damage, vessel blockade, and tissue ischemia [14]. While this approach is efficient at killing cancer cells, it could be suboptimal from the perspective of anticancer immunity as the treatment does not act directly on cancer cells. Hence, many have
Nanoplatforms for PTT
Traditional hyperthermia uses microwave, radiofrequency, and ultrasound to ablate tumors at a macroscopic level. Using nanoparticles as a photo-to-heat transducer, PTT adds an additional dimension of selectivity to the approach. PTT nanoparticles often comprise noble metals, metal chalcogenides, and carbon. In addition, organic pigments such as melanin and dye molecules can be concentrated in an organic nanoplatform to mediate PTT. Gold nanoparticles are probably the most widely studied PTT
Concluding Remarks
Overall, a growing body of evidence supports the synergy between immunotherapy and PDT/PTT. Despite the progress, however, there is much to be learned about the impact of nanoplatform-mediated PDT/PTT on the host’s immune system (see Outstanding Questions). Traditional phototherapy aims cause direct damage to cancer cells or the tumor vasculature. It is unclear whether these approaches are most effective at eliciting tumor-specific immune response. Similarly, drug–light interval and dosimetry,
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (1552617 to J.X.), the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (R01EB022596 to J.X.), and the National Cancer Institute (R01CA247769 to J.X.). We thank BioRender for illustrative support.
Glossary
- Adjuvant
- an immunological agent that can enhances the immune response, often used along with a vaccine.
- Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs)
- activated fibroblasts in the TME that promote tumor growth and metastasis by remodeling the extracellular matrix and producing growth factors and cytokines.
- Danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs)
- biomolecules released from stressed cells that act as danger signals to stimulate the innate immune system.
- Fenton-like reaction
- a catalytic reaction that results
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2022, BiomaterialsCitation Excerpt :In recent decades, scientists have been developing more effective tumor treatments. Phototherapy including PTT and PDT, which involves the activation of locally utilized phototherapy agents, has attracted much attention because of its high selectivity and safety; thus, it is gradually becoming a necessary method for cancer treatment [64]. As is well known, AIEgens stand out in the probe field because of their unique emission characteristics.