Regulation of CTLs/Tregs via Highly Stable and Ultrasound-Responsive Cerasomal Nano-Modulators for Enhanced Colorectal Cancer Immunotherapy

Abstract

Immunotherapy is showing good potential for colorectal cancer therapy, however, low responsive rates and severe immune-related drug side effects still hamper its therapeutic effectiveness. Herein, a highly stable cerasomal nano-modulator (DMC@P-Cs) with ultrasound (US)-controlled drug delivery capability for selective sonodynamic-immunotherapy is fabricated. DMC@P-Cs’ lipid bilayer is self-assembled from cerasome-forming lipid (CFL), pyrophaeophorbid conjugated lipid (PL), and phospholipids containing unsaturated chemical bonds (DOPC), resulting in US-responsive lipid shell. Demethylcantharidin (DMC) as an immunotherapy adjuvant is loaded in the hydrophilic core of DMC@P-Cs. With US irradiation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) can be effectively generated from DMC@P-Cs, which can not only kill tumor cells for inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD), but also oxidize unsaturated phospholipids-DOPC to change the permeability of the lipid bilayers and facilitate controlled release of DMC, thus resulting in down-regulation of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and amplification of anti-tumor immune responses. After intravenous injection, DMC@P-Cs can efficiently accumulate at the tumor site, and local US treatment resulted in 94.73% tumor inhibition rate. In addition, there is no detectable systemic toxicity. Therefore, this study provides a highly stable and US-controllable smart delivery system to achieve synergistical sonodynamic-immunotherapy for enhanced colorectal cancer therapy.