Tumor metastasis is the most dangerous stage in tumorigenesis and its evolution, which causes about 80% clinical death. However, common therapies including chemotherapy may increase the risk of tumor metastasis while killing cancer cells. Tumor metastasis is closely related to many factors in the tumor microenvironment, especially hypoxia. As one of the characteristics of a malignant tumor microenvironment, hypoxia plays an important role in the growth, metabolism, and metastasis of tumors. Upregulation of the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) would stimulate the metastasis and migration of cancer cells. In this study, we developed an artificial oxygen carrier system, a hemoglobin-loaded liposome (Hb@lipo), which was capable of effectively delivering oxygen to tumor. The way of providing oxygen not only alleviated tumor hypoxia but also downregulated the expression of HIF, which is conducive to reducing tumor malignancy. Alleviating the tumor hypoxic microenvironment alone is not enough to inhibit tumor metastasis; thus, we prepared the liposome containing a chemotherapeutic agent cabazitaxel (CBZ@lipo). Our data indicated that the combination therapy of Hb@lipo and CBZ@lipo can efficiently kill cancer cells and inhibit tumor growth. At the same time, it can effectively entrap cancer cells in tumor sites by relieving the hypoxic microenvironment of tumors and reduce the metastasis of cancer cells during and after the chemotherapy. Our research may provide a clinical cancer chemotherapy reference that reduces the risk of cancer cell metastasis while inhibiting tumor growth.
Keywords: artificial oxygen carrier; cabazitaxel; chemotherapy; hypoxia; tumor metastasis.