» Articles » PMID: 34158866

Recent Strategies for Nano-based PTT Combined with Immunotherapy: from a Biomaterial Point of View

Overview
Journal Theranostics
Date 2021 Jun 23
PMID 34158866
Citations 46
Authors
Affiliations
Soon will be listed here.
Abstract

Cancer has been a great threat to humans for decades. Due to the limitations of monotherapy, combinational therapies such as photothermal therapy (PTT) and immunotherapy have gained increasing attention with expectation to overcome the shortfalls of each other and obtain satisfactory therapeutic outcomes. PTT can inhibit primary tumors by thermal ablation but usually fails to achieve complete eradication and cannot prevent metastasis and recurrence. Meanwhile, the efficacy of immunotherapy is usually attenuated by the weak immunogenicity of tumor and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (ITM). Therefore, many recent studies have attempted to synergize PTT with immunotherapy in order to enhance the therapeutic efficacy. In this review, we aim to summarize the cutting-edge strategies in combining nano-based PTT with immunotherapy for cancer treatment. Herein, the combination strategies were mainly classified into four categories, including 1) nano-based PTT combined with antigens to induce host immune responses; 2) nano-based PTT in combination with immune adjuvants acting as vaccines; 3) nano-based PTT synergized with immune checkpoint blockade or other regulators to relieve the ITM; 4) nano-based PTT combined with CAR-T therapy or cytokine therapy for tumor treatment. The characteristics of various photothermal agents and nanoplatforms as well as the immunological mechanisms for the synergism were also introduced in detail. Finally, we discussed the existing challenges and future prospects in combined PTT and immunotherapy.

Citing Articles

Mitochondria-targeted photothermal-chemodynamic therapy enhances checkpoint blockade immunotherapy on colon cancer.

Zheng B, Wang H, Zhai S, Li J, Lu K Mater Today Bio. 2025; 31:101542.

PMID: 40018055 PMC: 11867542. DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2025.101542.


Exploring the application of metal-based photothermal agents in photothermal therapy combined with immune checkpoint therapy.

Xie B, Xiao Z, Ling J, Peng Y, Chen T Front Pharmacol. 2025; 16:1553158.

PMID: 40017598 PMC: 11865196. DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1553158.


Targeted intra-tumoral hyperthermia using uniquely biocompatible gold nanorods induces strong immunogenic cell death in two immunogenically 'cold' tumor models.

Kennedy B, Noftall E, Dean C, Roth A, Clark K, Rowles D Front Immunol. 2025; 15:1512543.

PMID: 39872527 PMC: 11769938. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1512543.


Nanotechnology-Based Strategies for Safe and Effective Immunotherapy.

Hong S, Park J, Oh Y, Cho H, Kim K Molecules. 2025; 29(24.

PMID: 39769944 PMC: 11676242. DOI: 10.3390/molecules29245855.


Emerging nitric oxide gas-assisted cancer photothermal treatment.

Liang S, Liu Y, Zhu H, Liao G, Zhu W, Zhang L Exploration (Beijing). 2024; 4(6):20230163.

PMID: 39713202 PMC: 11655315. DOI: 10.1002/EXP.20230163.


References
1.
Li Y, Liu X, Pan W, Li N, Tang B . Photothermal therapy-induced immunogenic cell death based on natural melanin nanoparticles against breast cancer. Chem Commun (Camb). 2020; 56(9):1389-1392. DOI: 10.1039/c9cc08447a. View

2.
Huang Z, Lv F, Wang J, Cao S, Liu Z, Liu Y . RGD-modified PEGylated paclitaxel nanocrystals with enhanced stability and tumor-targeting capability. Int J Pharm. 2018; 556:217-225. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2018.12.023. View

3.
An F, Yang Z, Zheng M, Mei T, Deng G, Guo P . Rationally assembled albumin/indocyanine green nanocomplex for enhanced tumor imaging to guide photothermal therapy. J Nanobiotechnology. 2020; 18(1):49. PMC: 7079369. DOI: 10.1186/s12951-020-00603-8. View

4.
Hwang H, Shin H, Han J, Na K . Combination of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and anti-tumor immunity in cancer therapy. J Pharm Investig. 2019; 48(2):143-151. PMC: 6323106. DOI: 10.1007/s40005-017-0377-x. View

5.
Yata T, Takahashi Y, Tan M, Nakatsuji H, Ohtsuki S, Murakami T . DNA nanotechnology-based composite-type gold nanoparticle-immunostimulatory DNA hydrogel for tumor photothermal immunotherapy. Biomaterials. 2017; 146:136-145. DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2017.09.014. View