The Application of and Strategy for Gold Nanoparticles in Cancer Immunotherapy

Abstract

Immunotherapy of malignant tumor is a verified and crucial anti-tumor strategy to help patients with cancer for prolonging prognostic survival. It is a novel anticancer tactics that activates the immune system to discern and damage cancer cells, thereby prevent them from proliferating. However, immunotherapy still faces many challenges in view of clinical efficacy and safety issues. Various nanomaterials, especially gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), have been developed not only for anticancer treatment but also for delivering antitumor drugs or combining other treatment strategies. Recently, some studies have focused on AuNPs for enhancing cancer immunotherapy. In this review, we summarized how AuNPs applicated as immune agents, drug carriers or combinations with other immunotherapies for anticancer treatment. AuNPs can not only act as immune regulators but also deliver immune drugs for cancer. Therefore, AuNPs are candidates for enhancing the efficiency and safety of cancer immunotherapy.

Design and Encapsulation of Immunomodulators onto Gold Nanoparticles in Cancer Immunotherapy

“…The unique features of GNPs have traditionally been recognized as promising aids for cancer diagnostics and drug carrier purposes. These features include large surface area-tovolume ratio, high plasmonic resonance, morphology characteristics, multi-functionalization, ease of production, and stability [116]. Several medications can be immobilized on the GNP's surface, mainly via direct -S or -N binding, ligand bonding, hydrogen bonding, van der Waals forces, and electrostatic interaction.…”

Metal Nanozymes: New Horizons in Cellular Homeostasis Regulation

“…One of the best-described metals-based nanozymes are ultrasmall gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), which show oxidase, peroxidase, and catalase mimicking activities. They have been reported to show improved therapeutic effects when coupled with drug molecules [209,210]. This is because the AuNPs have a large surface area which provides high packing capacity for drug loading and improves the hydrophilicity and stability of drugs.…”

Combining Nanotechnology and Gas Plasma as an Emerging Platform for Cancer Therapy: Mechanism and Therapeutic Implication

“…As another example, NPs were shown to perform targeted delivery of miR-200c and a CXCR-4 antagonistic peptide that led to immunogenic cancer cell death (ICD), perpetuating antitumor immunity, decreasing immunosuppression, and abrogating the expression of immune checkpoints in the tumor microenvironment [ 52 ]. Primarily gold nanoparticles are envisioned to perform a dual role as immune regulators and drug delivery into the tumor tissue [ 53 ]. NPs were recently proposed as efficient vehicles for anticancer vaccines, owing to their unique properties in targeted delivery and tissue penetration [ 54 ].…”