Predictive Analysis in Oral Cancer Immunotherapy: Profiling Dual PD-L1-Positive Extracellular Vesicle Subtypes with Step-Wedge Microfluidic Chips

Anal Chem. 2024 Sep 17;96(37):14980-14988. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c03101. Epub 2024 Sep 5.

Abstract

PD-L1-positive extracellular vesicles (PD-L1+ EVs) play a pivotal role as predictive biomarkers in cancer immunotherapy. These vesicles, originating from immune cells (I-PD-L1+ EVs) and tumor cells (T-PD-L1+ EVs), hold distinct clinical predictive values, emphasizing the importance of deeply differentiating the PD-L1+ EV subtypes for effective liquid biopsy analyses. However, current methods such as ELISA lack the ability to differentiate their cellular sources. In this study, a novel step-wedge microfluidic chip that combines magnetic microsphere separation with single-layer fluorescence counting is developed. This chip integrates magnetic microspheres modified with anti-PD-L1 antibodies and fluorescent nanoparticles targeting EpCAM (tumor cell marker) or CD45 (immunocyte marker), enabling simultaneous quantification and sensitive analysis of PD-L1+ EV subpopulations in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients' saliva without background interference. Analysis results indicate reduced levels of I-PD-L1+ EVs in OSCC patients compared to those in healthy individuals, with varying levels of heterogeneous PD-L1+ EVs observed among different patient groups. During immunotherapy, responders exhibit decreased levels of total PD-L1+ EVs and T-PD-L1+ EVs, accompanied by reduced levels of I-PD-L1+ EVs. Conversely, nonresponders show increased levels of I-PD-L1+ EVs. Utilizing the step-wedge microfluidic chip allows for simultaneous detection of PD-L1+ EV subtypes, facilitating the precise prediction of oral cancer immunotherapy outcomes.

MeSH terms

  • B7-H1 Antigen* / analysis
  • B7-H1 Antigen* / metabolism
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / analysis
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / metabolism
  • Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule / metabolism
  • Extracellular Vesicles* / chemistry
  • Extracellular Vesicles* / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy*
  • Lab-On-A-Chip Devices*
  • Mouth Neoplasms* / metabolism
  • Mouth Neoplasms* / pathology
  • Mouth Neoplasms* / therapy
  • Saliva / chemistry
  • Saliva / metabolism

Substances

  • B7-H1 Antigen
  • CD274 protein, human
  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule