scholarly journals Nanoparticles as Smart Carriers for Enhanced Cancer Immunotherapy

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neelam Thakur ◽  
Saloni Thakur ◽  
Sharmistha Chatterjee ◽  
Joydeep Das ◽  
Parames C. Sil

Cancer immunotherapy has emerged as a promising strategy for the treatment of many forms of cancer by stimulating body's own immune system. This therapy not only eradicates tumor cells by inducing strong anti-tumor immune response but also prevent their recurrence. The clinical cancer immunotherapy faces some insurmountable challenges including high immune-mediated toxicity, lack of effective and targeted delivery of cancer antigens to immune cells and off-target side effects. However, nanotechnology offers some solutions to overcome those limitations, and thus can potentiate the efficacy of immunotherapy. This review focuses on the advancement of nanoparticle-mediated delivery of immunostimulating agents for efficient cancer immunotherapy. Here we have outlined the use of the immunostimulatory nanoparticles as a smart carrier for effective delivery of cancer antigens and adjuvants, type of interactions between nanoparticles and the antigen/adjuvant as well as the factors controlling the interaction between nanoparticles and the receptors on antigen presenting cells. Besides, the role of nanoparticles in targeting/activating immune cells and modulating the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment has also been discussed extensively. Finally, we have summarized some theranostic applications of the immunomodulatory nanomaterials in treating cancers based on the earlier published reports.

Open Biology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 170006 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Calì ◽  
B. Molon ◽  
A. Viola

Host immunity plays a central and complex role in dictating tumour progression. Solid tumours are commonly infiltrated by a large number of immune cells that dynamically interact with the surrounding microenvironment. At first, innate and adaptive immune cells successfully cooperate to eradicate microcolonies of transformed cells. Concomitantly, surviving tumour clones start to proliferate and harness immune responses by specifically hijacking anti-tumour effector mechanisms and fostering the accumulation of immunosuppressive immune cell subsets at the tumour site. This pliable interplay between immune and malignant cells is a relentless process that has been concisely organized in three different phases: elimination, equilibrium and escape. In this review, we aim to depict the distinct immune cell subsets and immune-mediated responses characterizing the tumour landscape throughout the three interconnected phases. Importantly, the identification of key immune players and molecules involved in the dynamic crosstalk between tumour and immune system has been crucial for the introduction of reliable prognostic factors and effective therapeutic protocols against cancers.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 5912
Author(s):  
Angèle Luby ◽  
Marie-Clotilde Alves-Guerra

Over the past decade, advances in cancer immunotherapy through PD1–PDL1 and CTLA4 immune checkpoint blockade have revolutionized the management of cancer treatment. However, these treatments are inefficient for many cancers, and unfortunately, few patients respond to these treatments. Indeed, altered metabolic pathways in the tumor play a pivotal role in tumor growth and immune response. Thus, the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) reprograms the behavior of immune cells by altering their cellular machinery and nutrient availability to limit antitumor functions. Today, thanks to a better understanding of cancer metabolism, immunometabolism and immune checkpoint evasion, the development of new therapeutic approaches targeting the energy metabolism of cancer or immune cells greatly improve the efficacy of immunotherapy in different cancer models. Herein, we highlight the changes in metabolic pathways that regulate the differentiation of pro- and antitumor immune cells and how TME-induced metabolic stress impedes their antitumor activity. Finally, we propose some drug strategies to target these pathways in the context of cancer immunotherapy.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurélie Bouteau ◽  
Botond Z. Igyártó

AbstractHuLangerin-Cre-YFPf/f mice were generated to specifically mark a subset of antigen presenting immune cells, called Langerhans cells (LCs). During histological characterization of these mice, we found that, in addition to LCs an uncharacterized cell population in the central nervous system (CNS) also expressed YFP. In this study, we found that the CNS YFP+ cells were negative for microglia and astrocyte markers, but they expressed mature neuronal marker NeuN and showed neuronal localization/morphology. Thus, these mice might be used to study the ontogeny, migration and the role of a subset of CNS neurons.


Author(s):  
Jie Li ◽  
Yiqian Luo ◽  
Baoqin Li ◽  
Yuanliang Xia ◽  
Hengyi Wang ◽  
...  

Cancer immunotherapy has become an emerging strategy recently producing durable immune responses in patients with varieties of malignant tumors. However, the main limitation for the broad application of immunotherapies still to reduce side effects by controlling and regulating the immune system. In order to improve both efficacy and safety, biomaterials have been applied to immunotherapies for the specific modulation of immune cells and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Recently, researchers have constantly developed biomaterials with new structures, properties and functions. This review provides the most recent advances in the delivery strategies of immunotherapies based on localized biomaterials, focusing on the implantable and injectable biomaterial scaffolds. Finally, the challenges and prospects of applying implantable and injectable biomaterial scaffolds in the development of future cancer immunotherapies are discussed.


2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Fernández-Riejos ◽  
Souad Najib ◽  
Jose Santos-Alvarez ◽  
Consuelo Martín-Romero ◽  
Antonio Pérez-Pérez ◽  
...  

Adipose tissue is an active endocrine organ that secretes various humoral factors (adipokines), and its shift to production of proinflammatory cytokines in obesity likely contributes to the low-level systemic inflammation that may be present in metabolic syndrome-associated chronic pathologies such as atherosclerosis. Leptin is one of the most important hormones secreted by adipocytes, with a variety of physiological roles related to the control of metabolism and energy homeostasis. One of these functions is the connection between nutritional status and immune competence. The adipocyte-derived hormone leptin has been shown to regulate the immune response, innate and adaptive response, both in normal and pathological conditions. The role of leptin in regulating immune response has been assessed in vitro as well as in clinical studies. It has been shown that conditions of reduced leptin production are associated with increased infection susceptibility. Conversely, immune-mediated disorders such as autoimmune diseases are associated with increased secretion of leptin and production of proinflammatory pathogenic cytokines. Thus, leptin is a mediator of the inflammatory response.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suhail Ahmad

Phagocytosis of tubercle bacilli by antigen-presenting cells in human lung alveoli initiates a complex infection process byMycobacterium tuberculosisand a potentially protective immune response by the host.M. tuberculosishas devoted a large part of its genome towards functions that allow it to successfully establish latent or progressive infection in the majority of infected individuals. The failure of immune-mediated clearance is due to multiple strategies adopted byM. tuberculosisthat blunt the microbicidal mechanisms of infected immune cells and formation of distinct granulomatous lesions that differ in their ability to support or suppress the persistence of viableM. tuberculosis. In this paper, current understanding of various immune processes that lead to the establishment of latentM. tuberculosisinfection, bacterial spreading, persistence, reactivation, and waning or elimination of latent infection as well as new diagnostic approaches being used for identification of latently infected individuals for possible control of tuberculosis epidemic are described.


Author(s):  
Yun Xing ◽  
Zhiqiang Wang ◽  
Zhou Lu ◽  
Jie Xia ◽  
Zhangjuan Xie ◽  
...  

Abstract MicroRNA (miRNA) is a class of endogenous small non-coding RNA of 18–25 nucleotides and plays regulatory roles in both physiological and pathological processes. Emerging evidence support that miRNAs function as immune modulators in tumors. MiRNAs as tumor suppressors or oncogenes are also found to be able to modulate anti-tumor immunity or link the crosstalk between tumor cells and immune cells surrounding. Based on the specific regulating function, miRNAs can be used as predictive, prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in immunotherapy. Here, we review new findings about role of miRNAs in modulating immune responses, as well as discuss mechanisms underlying their dysregulation, and their clinical potentials as indicators of tumor prognosis or to sensitize cancer immunotherapy.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ru Wen ◽  
Afoma C Umeano

Cancer immunotherapy involves the delivery of immunogenic compounds and/or the priming, or induction, of the body’s natural immune system to target cancer. The use of cancer immunotherapy has led to various means of cancer prevention and treatment that have produced prolonged life expectancy and stabilized disease. Nanoparticles are promising vehicles or adjuvants for effective delivery of therapeutics, antigens, stimulatory effectors, or antibodies for therapeutic invention. Targeting nanoparticles are especially useful due to their capability of accumulating in specific sites of interest like tumors and, thereby, decreasing risks of damage to normal tissue. Targeting can be achieved by incorporation of cell-surface related binding molecules or antibodies. This review explores the role of targeting nanoparticles as delivery or adjuvant sys­tems to modulate immune response; and as imaging tracking systems for cancer.


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