A MnO2-based tumor-seeking nanoplatform for enhanced chemoimmunotherapy against 4T1 breast cancer

A significant obstacle in oncological therapy lies in surmounting the immunosuppressive microenvironment while enhancing the anti-tumor efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents. STING agonists such as Mn2+ have demonstrated substantial promise in this regard. Squamocin (Squ), a naturally derived compound...

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Main Authors: Tingting Gong, Xiaohuan Wang, Ziqi Liu, Pengxin Li, Yunqian Lu, Yaoyao Guo, Meihua Han, Xiangtao Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-08-01
Series:Materials Today Bio
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590006425005708
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Summary:A significant obstacle in oncological therapy lies in surmounting the immunosuppressive microenvironment while enhancing the anti-tumor efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents. STING agonists such as Mn2+ have demonstrated substantial promise in this regard. Squamocin (Squ), a naturally derived compound, exhibits potent anti-tumor activity with minimal drug resistance; however, its application is hampered by poor water solubility (approximately 7.5 μg/mL) and off-target toxicity. In this study, a chemo-immunotherapy approach utilizing MnO2 nanoparticles combined with squamocin (Squ) has been formulated, with its therapeutic effectiveness further augmented through surface modification with the tumor-targeting IR820 molecule. The intravenously injectable MnO2 nanoparticles were synthesized from KMnO4 and anhydrous ethanol, and subsequently modified with Astragalus polysaccharides (APS)-IR820 on their surface to improve stability in physiological media and facilitate tumor targeting and in vivo fluorescence imaging. The resultant MnO2@APS-IR820 NPs, measuring 193.4 ± 1.7 nm, generated Mn2+ in response to the elevated glutathione (GSH) levels within the tumor microenvironment. The generated Mn2+ notably induced maturation of bone marrow dendritic cells (BMDCs) and promoted the repolarization of tumor-associated macrophages from the pro-tumor M2 phenotype to the anti-tumor M1 phenotype. When combined with Squ@APS-IR820 NPs (220.1 ± 11.2 nm in size), the chemoimmunotherapy significantly stimulated both innate and adaptive immune responses in a 4T1 tumor bearing mouse model and demonstrated a synergistic anti-tumor effect, achieving a tumor inhibition rate of approximately 92 %, highlighting its remarkable potential for anti-tumor therapy.
ISSN:2590-0064