Department of Pharmaceutics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States.
Department of Urology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States.
Mol Pharm. 2020 Jun 1;17(6):2109-2124. doi: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.0c00271. Epub 2020 May 21.
Activated natural killer (NK) cells can kill malignant tumor cells via granule exocytosis and secretion of IFN-γ, a key regulator of the TH1 response. Thus, mobilization of NK cells can augment cancer immunotherapy, particularly when mediated through antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Stimulation of toll-like receptor (TLR)7/8 activity in dendritic cells promotes pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion and costimulatory molecule upregulation, both of which can potentiate NK cell activation. However, currently available TLR7/8 agonists exhibit unfavorable pharmacokinetics, limiting their efficacy. To enable efficient delivery to antigen-presenting cells, we encapsulated a novel imidazoquinoline-based TLR7/8 agonist in pH-responsive polymeric NPs. Enhanced costimulatory molecule expression on dendritic cells and a stronger pro-inflammatory cytokine response were observed with a NP-encapsulated agonist, compared to that with the soluble form. Treatment with NP-encapsulated agonists resulted in stronger cytotoxicity and prolonged activation of NK cells compared to that with a soluble agonist. In addition, TLR7/8 agonist-loaded NPs potentiated stronger NK cell degranulation, which resulted in enhanced and ADCC mediated by the epidermal growth factor receptor-targeting antibody cetuximab. TLR7/8 agonist-loaded NP treatment significantly enhanced the antitumor efficacy of cetuximab and an anti-HER2/neu antibody in mouse tumor models. Collectively, our data show that a pH-responsive NP-encapsulating TLR7/8 agonist could be used as a potent immunostimulatory adjuvant for antibody-based cancer immunotherapy by promoting NK cell activation.
活化的自然杀伤 (NK) 细胞可以通过颗粒外排和 IFN-γ的分泌杀死恶性肿瘤细胞,IFN-γ是 TH1 反应的关键调节剂。因此,动员 NK 细胞可以增强癌症免疫疗法,特别是通过抗体依赖性细胞毒性 (ADCC) 介导时。树突状细胞中 TLR7/8 活性的刺激可促进促炎细胞因子的分泌和共刺激分子的上调,这两者均可增强 NK 细胞的激活。然而,目前可用的 TLR7/8 激动剂表现出不利的药代动力学,限制了它们的疗效。为了能够有效地递送到抗原呈递细胞,我们将新型咪唑并喹啉 TLR7/8 激动剂封装在 pH 响应性聚合物 NPs 中。与可溶性形式相比,NP 包封的激动剂观察到树突状细胞上增强的共刺激分子表达和更强的促炎细胞因子反应。与可溶性激动剂相比,用 NP 包封的激动剂处理导致更强的细胞毒性和 NK 细胞的延长激活。此外,TLR7/8 激动剂负载的 NPs 增强了更强的 NK 细胞脱颗粒,导致增强的和由表皮生长因子受体靶向抗体西妥昔单抗介导的 ADCC。TLR7/8 激动剂负载的 NP 治疗显著增强了西妥昔单抗和抗 HER2/neu 抗体在小鼠肿瘤模型中的抗肿瘤疗效。总的来说,我们的数据表明,pH 响应性 NP 包封的 TLR7/8 激动剂可用作基于抗体的癌症免疫疗法的有效免疫刺激佐剂,通过促进 NK 细胞的激活。
J Immunotoxicol. 2009-12
Clin Cancer Res. 2011-11-29
Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2009-4
Front Immunol. 2025-8-14
Int J Nanomedicine. 2024-12-17
Signal Transduct Target Ther. 2024-10-18
Front Oncol. 2023-1-4
Int J Mol Sci. 2023-1-7
Cancers (Basel). 2022-12-11