Nanovaccine‐based immunotherapy (NBI) has the ability to initiate dendritic cell (DC)‐mediated tumor‐specific immune responses and maintain long‐term antitumor immune memory. To date, the mechanism by which the mechanical properties of nanoparticles alter the functions of DCs in NBI remains largely unclear. Here, a soft mesoporous organosilica‐based nanovaccine (SMONV) is prepared and the elasticity‐dependent effect of the nanovaccine on the underlying DC‐mediated immune responses is studied. It is found that the elasticity results in greater internalization of SMONV by DCs, followed by the induction of substantial cytosolic delivery of antigens via endosomal escape, leading to effective DC maturation and antigen cross‐presentation. Impressively, elasticity enables SMONV to enhance lymphatic drainage of antigens in vivo, thus stimulating robust humoral and cellular immunity. The results from therapeutic tumor vaccination further reveal that subcutaneously administered SMONV effectively suppresses tumor growth in tumor‐bearing mice by evoking antigen‐specific CD8+ T‐cell immune responses, mitigating regulatory T‐cell‐mediated immunosuppression, and increasing central memory and effector memory T‐cell populations. Furthermore, combinatorial immunization with SMONV and anti‐PD‐L1 blocking antibodies results in an amplified therapeutic effect on tumor‐bearing mice. These findings reveal the elastic effect of the nanovaccine on DC‐mediated immune responses, and the prepared SMONV represents a facile and powerful strategy for antitumor immunotherapy.

Microbial infection accounts for many dental diseases and treatment failure. Therefore, the antibacterial properties of dental biomaterials are of great importance to the long-term results of treatment. Silver-based biomaterials (AgBMs) have been widely researched as antimicrobial materials with high efficiency and relatively low toxicity. AgBMs have a broad spectrum of antimicrobial properties, including penetration of microbial cell membranes, damage to genetic material, contact killing, and dysfunction of bacterial proteins and enzymes. In particular, advances in nanotechnology have improved the application value of AgBMs. Hence, in many subspecialties of dentistry, AgBMs have been researched and employed, such as caries arresting or prevention, root canal sterilization, periodontal plaque inhibition, additives in dentures, coating of implants and anti-inflammatory material in oral and maxillofacial surgery. This paper aims to provide an overview of the application approaches of AgBMs in dentistry and present better guidance for oral antimicrobial therapy via the development of AgBMs.

Dendritic cell (DC)-based cancer immunotherapy has exhibited remarkable clinical prospects because DCs play a central role in initiating and regulating adaptive immune responses. However, the application of traditional DC-mediated immunotherapy is limited due to insufficient antigen delivery, inadequate antigen presentation, and high levels of immunosuppression. To address these challenges, engineered biomaterials have been exploited to enhance DC-mediated immunotherapeutic effects. In this review, vital principal components that can enhance DC-mediated immunotherapeutic effects are first introduced. The parameters considered in the rational design of biomaterials, including targeting modifications, size, shape, surface, and mechanical properties, which can affect biomaterial optimization of DC functions, are further summarized. Moreover, recent applications of various engineered biomaterials in the field of DC-mediated immunotherapy are reviewed, including those serve as immune component delivery platforms, remodel the tumor microenvironment, and synergistically enhance the effects of other antitumor therapies. Overall, the present review comprehensively and systematically summarizes biomaterials related to the promotion of DC functions; and specifically focuses on the recent advances in biomaterial designs for DC activation to eradicate tumors. The challenges and opportunities of treatment strategies designed to amplify DCs via the application of biomaterials are discussed with the aim of inspiring the clinical translation of future DC-mediated cancer immunotherapies.

Traditional dendritic cell (DC)-mediated immunotherapy is usually suppressed by weak immunogenicity in tumors and generally leads to unsatisfactory outcomes. Synergistic exogenous/endogenous immunogenic activation can provide an alternative strategy for evoking a robust immune response by promoting DC activation. Herein, we prepared Ti 3 C 2 MXene-based nanoplatforms (termed MXP) with high-e ciency near-infrared photothermal conversion and immunocompetent loading capacity to form endogenous/exogenous nanovaccines. Speci cally, the immunogenic cell death of tumor cells induced by the photothermal effects of the MXP can generate endogenous danger signals and antigen release to boost vaccination for DC maturation and antigen cross-presentation. In addition, MXP can deliver ovalbumin tumor antigens (OVA) and agonists (CpG-ODN) as an exogenous nanovaccine (MXP@OC), which further enhanced e cient DC activation. Importantly, the synergistic strategy of photothermal therapy and DC-mediated immunotherapy by MXP signi cantly eradicated tumors and enhanced adaptive immunity. Hence, the present work provides a two-pronged strategy for improving immunogenicity and killing tumor cells to achieve a favorable outcome in tumor patients.

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