A novel fluoropolymer as a protein delivery vector with robust adjuvant effect for cancer immunotherapy.

Abstract

The inefficient treatment using protein-based nanovaccines is largely attributed to their inadequate immunogenicity. Herein, we developed a novel fluoropolymer (PF) via ring-opening polymerization and constructed a fluoropolymer-based nanovaccine for tumor immunotherapy. Due to the existence of fluoroalkyl chains, PF not only played a crucial role in tumor antigen delivery but also exhibited a remarkable adjuvant effect in enhancing the immunogenicity of nanovaccines. The nanovaccines formed by mixing PF with a model antigen ovalbumin (OVA) enhanced the uptake of antigen proteins by dendritic cells (DCs) and promoted the maturation and antigen presentation of DCs. Compared with free OVA, PF/OVA showed better efficacy in both pre-cancer prevention and tumor treatment. Furthermore, the proportion of CD4+ T and CD8+ T cells was significantly increased in lymph nodes and tumors of mice immunized with PF/OVA. Additionally, there was a great enhancement in the levels of key anti-tumor cytokines (TNF-α and IFN-γ) in the serum of the PF/OVA immunized mice. Our research has shown that fluoropolymer PF applied as a protein vector and adjuvant has great potential for the development of nanovaccines with robust immunogenicity.

• Authors: Yu-Rong Zhan, Xi He, Zhi-Ying Huang, Ping Chen, Miao-Miao Tian, Guo-Hong Li, Xiao-Qi Yu, Xiang-Rong Song, Ji Zhang
• Journal: Journal of materials chemistry. B (J Mater Chem B) Vol. 11 Issue 37 Pg. 8933-8942 (09 27 2023) ISSN: 2050-7518 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 37682063 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Fluorocarbon Polymers
• Adjuvants, Immunologic
• Antigens, Neoplasm

Topics

• Mice
• Animals
• CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes
• Fluorocarbon Polymers
• Adjuvants, Immunologic
• Immunotherapy
• Neoplasms (metabolism)
• Antigens, Neoplasm