Enhanced Photothermal/Immunotherapy under NIR Irradiation Based on Hollow Mesoporous Responsive Nanomotor

Inorg Chem. 2024 Dec 27. doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.4c05059. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

In this research, a hollow mesoporous responsive nanomotor was proposed for enhanced photothermal/immunotherapy under near infrared (NIR) irradiation. HA-HMCuS/AS as the nanomotor composed of hollow mesoporous copper sulfide (HMCuS) loaded with artesunate (AS) and hyaluronic acid (HA) was utilized to induce the polarization of tumor-associated macrophages. At the beginning, ResNet18 deep learning model was utilized to predict the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of HMCuS based on the morphology data set which was obtained from our conventional research. And then, we predicted that the as-synthesized HMCuS has a large surface area, which is beneficial for drug loading. Then, upon near-infrared light irradiation, HA-HMCuS/AS exhibited significant cytotoxicity against breast cancer cells and induced tumor thermal ablation. Additionally, HA-HMCuS/AS was found to inhibit the expression of TREM2 at the tumor site, promoting the transition of M2-type macrophages to M1-type macrophages in tumor tissue and enhancing the inflammatory response at the tumor site. In addition, photothermal therapy enabled tumor cells to release tumor-associated antigen and injury-related molecular patterns, promote the maturation and metastasis of dendritic cells, and further activate the body's specific antitumor immune response. By combining photothermal therapy with immunotherapy, the HA-HMCuS nanomotor demonstrated even more robust tumor ablation and suppression effects.