Polysaccharide-based nanomedicines for cancer immunotherapy: A review

Abstract

Cancer immunotherapy is an effective antitumor approach through activating immune systems to eradicate tumors by immunotherapeutics. However, direct administration of “naked” immunotherapeutic agents (such as nucleic acids, cytokines, adjuvants or antigens without delivery vehicles) often results in: (1) an unsatisfactory efficacy due to suboptimal pharmacokinetics; (2) strong toxic and side effects due to low targeting (or off-target) efficiency. To overcome these shortcomings, a series of polysaccharide-based nanoparticles have been developed to carry immunotherapeutics to enhance antitumor immune responses with reduced toxicity and side effects. Polysaccharides are a family of natural polymers that hold unique physicochemical and biological properties, as they could interact with immune system to stimulate an enhanced immune response. Their structures offer versatility in synthesizing multifunctional nanocomposites, which could be chemically modified to achieve high stability and bioavailability for delivering therapeutics into tumor tissues. This review aims to highlight recent advances in polysaccharide-based nanomedicines for cancer immunotherapy and propose new perspectives on the use of polysaccharide-based immunotherapeutics.

Recent Developments in Inonotus obliquus (Chaga mushroom) Polysaccharides: Isolation, Structural Characteristics, Biological Activities and Application

“…Among all the active components in Inonotus obliquus, Inonotus obliquus polysaccharides have the broadest biological activity, such as anticancer, hypoglycemic, antiinflammatory, and anti-oxidation effects [8,22,. Through the number of Scopusindexed publication numbers (archived until 15 March 2021) for polysaccharide bioactivity, Inonotus obliquus, Inonotus obliquus polysaccharide related articles, a certain degree of upward trend can be seen (Figure 1), which means that the medicinal value and health value of Inonotus obliquus have been widely recognized and affirmed [5,6,[62][63][64], making it worthwhile to review Inonotus obliquus polysaccharides. In this review, the extraction, purification methods, and the physiochemical and structural features of Inonotus obliquus polysaccharides are summarized and discussed in detail; besides, the in vitro and in vivo evaluation and mechanisms of its bioactivities are summarized.…”

“…Beside reasonable prevention, it is also necessary and urgent to find suitable drugs to cure the disease. Unfortunately, existing chemical and biological drugs for cancers and diabetes have many drawbacks, such as large side effects and high prices [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Therefore, natural products that possess hypoglycemic, anti-oxidation, and anticancer properties is of great significance and drew the researchers’ attention [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”

“…Among all the active components in Inonotus obliquus , Inonotus obliquus polysaccharides have the broadest biological activity, such as anticancer, hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidation effects [ 8 , 22 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 ]. Through the number of Scopus-indexed publication numbers (archived until 15 March 2021) for polysaccharide bioactivity, Inonotus obliquus , Inonotus obliquus polysaccharide related articles, a certain degree of upward trend can be seen ( Figure 1 ), which means that the medicinal value and health value of Inonotus obliquus have been widely recognized and affirmed [ 5 , 6 , 62 , 63 , 64 ], making it worthwhile to review Inonotus obliquus polysaccharides.…”

Hydrogel-By-Design: Smart Delivery System for Cancer Immunotherapy

“…Furthermore, the softness and rubbery properties of hydrogels minimize inflammatory reaction of surrounding cells. Especially for CAR-T therapy, cell viability could be guaranteed which is the basis for its immune function ( Palucka and Banchereau, 2012 ; Seliktar, 2012 ; Monette et al, 2016 ; Zeng et al, 2021 ). Secondly, the availability of functional groups and the adjustable of the formed network structure of hydrogels allow carrying cargoes with various types and via different magnitude of interaction forces ( Qiu et al, 2020 ).…”

Hybrid Hosts Based on Sodium Alginate and Porous Clay Heterostructures for Drug Encapsulation

“…Nanotechnology is the most important technology used to identify cancerous cells in the initial stage. Another important aspect of cancer therapy is the development of new materials able to minimize the side effects of therapeutic drugs and also to enhance the efficiency of cancer immunotherapy [ 3 , 4 ].…”