Even though chemotherapy regimens for treating cancer by inducing apoptosis are extensively utilized, their therapeutic effect is hindered by multiple limitations. Thus, a combination of other types of anticancer modalities is urgently needed. Herein, a tannic acid (TA)-Fe3+-coated doxorubicin (DOX)-encapsulated 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[methoxy(poly(ethylene glycol))-2000] (ammonium salt) (DSPE-PEG) micelle (TFDD) for apoptosis/ferroptosis-mediated immunogenic cell death (ICD) is reported. By coating TA-Fe3+ on the surface of DOX-loaded micelles, an apoptotic agent and a ferroptotic agent are simultaneously delivered into the cancer cells and induce cell death. Furthermore, the intracellular oxidative environment generated by the apoptosis/ferroptosis hybrid pathway stimulates the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and leads to ICD induction. The in vivo results show that the combination treatment of TFDD and anti-programmed death-ligand 1 antibodies (anti-PD-L1) considerably inhibits tumor growth and improves antitumor immunity by activating CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and decreasing the ratio of regulatory T cells (Treg) to CD4+ T cells. This study suggests that the apoptosis/ferroptosis-mediated ICD inducer may offer a potent strategy for enhanced cancer immunotherapy.
Keywords: apoptosis/ferroptosis hybrid pathway; combination cancer immunotherapy; immune checkpoint blockade; immunogenic cell death.