Immunogenic cell death (ICD)-induced immunotherapy holds promise for complete elimination and long-term protective immune responses against cancer by combining direct tumor cell killing and antitumor immune response. Some therapeutic approaches (such as hyperthermia, photodynamic therapy, or radiotherapy) and inducers (certain chemotherapy drugs, oncolytic viruses) have been devoted to initiating and/or boosting ICD, leading to the activation of tumor-specific immune responses. Recently, supramolecular assembled bioactive peptide nanodrugs have been employed to improve the efficacy of ICD-induced cancer immunotherapy by increasing tumor targeted accumulation as well as responsive release of ICD inducers, directly inducing high levels of ICD and realizing the simultaneous enhancement of immune response through the immune function of the active peptide itself. Here, the authors review bioactive peptide nanodrugs based on supramolecular assembly, mainly as an intelligent delivery system, a direct ICD inducer and an immune response enhancer, for boosting ICD induced cancer immunotherapy. The functions of diverse bioactive peptides used in the construction of nanodrugs are described. The design of a supramolecular assembly, the mechanism of boosting ICD, and synergetic effects of bioactive peptides combined immunotherapy are critically emphasized.
Keywords: bioactive peptides; cancer immunotherapy; delivery platforms; immunogenic cell death; self-assembly.
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