Nanoparticles to Improve the Efficacy of Peptide-Based Cancer Vaccines

Abstract

Nanoparticles represent a potent antigen presentation and delivery system to elicit an optimal immune response by effector cells targeting tumor-associated antigens expressed by cancer cells. Many types of nanoparticles have been developed, such as polymeric complexes, liposomes, micelles and protein-based structures such as virus like particles. All of them show promising results for immunotherapy approaches. In particular, the immunogenicity of peptide-based cancer vaccines can be significantly potentiated by nanoparticles. Indeed, nanoparticles are able to enhance the targeting of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and trigger cytokine production for optimal T cell response. The present review summarizes the categories of nanoparticles and peptide cancer vaccines which are currently under pre-clinical evaluation.

Antimicrobial Peptides as Anticancer Agents: Functional Properties and Biological Activities

“…Hao et al have conjugated the cell-penetrating peptide TAT to the C-terminus of HPRP-A1 peptide and obtained enhanced specificity against cancer cells [ 72 ]. The use of nanoparticles is a further example of delivery strategy optimization [ 73 ]. Pazos et al in 2016, designed a novel amphiphilic peptide with aldehydic properties which was capable to reduce silver ions and to nucleate silver nanoparticles in water.…”

Nanocarrier-Based Drug Delivery for Melanoma Therapeutics

“…To address this issue, Cheng et al proposed a self-assembled delivery system for the PDT treatment of malignant melanoma [ 167 ]. The self-assembled nanocarrier system consists of the PS protoporphyrin, a melanoma-specific antigen peptide (KVPRNQDWL) [ 168 ], and PEG to achieve preferred tumor accumulation by EPR. PDT can enhance immunogenicity, improve the efficiency of antigen cross-presentation, and form more effective tumor-specific cytotoxic T cells.…”

Nano-Enhanced Cancer Immunotherapy: Immunology Encounters Nanotechnology

“…Thus, of the six melanoma patients that were vaccinated, four showed no signs of tumor recurrence in a follow-up period of up to 32 months, providing a strong rationale for further refining this methodology. One logical approach would be to combine neoantigen-specific peptide vaccination with nanoparticular formulations [ 59 ]. For example, Luo and colleagues convincingly demonstrated the improved therapeutic potential of small (29 nm diameter) polymeric nanoparticles that were loaded with synthetic peptides [ 60 ].…”