Lentinan-laden microspheres reprogram the tumor microenvironment and improve anti-PD-L1 efficacy

J Mater Chem B. 2023 May 24;11(20):4475-4484. doi: 10.1039/d3tb00047h.

Abstract

Immunotherapies are a promising new class of anticancer treatments, but the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) hinders their broader implementation. Here, we designed a '3C' strategy based on the conventional drug lentinan (LNT), applying the convertible material polylactic acid with controlled release of LNT (LNT@Mic). Our findings revealed that LNT@Mic exhibited effective biocompatibility coupled with controlled long-term release of LNT. Due to these characteristics, LNT@Mic reprogramed the immunosuppressive TME and demonstrated substantial antitumor activity in the MC38 tumor model. Furthermore, it served as a facile and generalizable cancer immunotherapy strategy for augmenting LNT bioavailability while enhancing the efficacy of anti-programmed death-ligand 1 therapy against the 'cold' 4T1 tumor model. These findings provide a reference for tumor immunotherapy strategies for the further study and application of LNT.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Immunosuppressive Agents
  • Lentinan* / pharmacology
  • Lentinan* / therapeutic use
  • Microspheres
  • Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Tumor Microenvironment

Substances

  • Lentinan
  • CD274 protein, human
  • Immunosuppressive Agents