Biodegradable mesoporous nanocomposites with dual-targeting function for enhanced anti-tumor therapy

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), the main components of infiltrating leukocytes in tumors, often play a key role in promoting cancer development and progression. The tumor-specific microenvironment forces the phenotype of tumor-infiltrating to evolve in a direction favorable to tumor development, that is, the generation of M2-like TAMs. Consequently, the dual intervention of cancer cells and tumor microenvironment has become a research hotspot in the field of tumor immunotherapy. In this contribution, we developed pH-sensitive meso-porous calcium silicate nanocomposites (MCNs) encapsulated with indocyanine green (ICG) to enable the effective combination of photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) triggered by the 808 nm near-infrared (NIR) light. The mannose and hyaluronic acid-grafted MCNs specifically targeted TAMs and tumor cells and promoted cell apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo. This paper revealed that irradiation of ICG loaded MCNs with NIR can produce a potent hyperthermia and induce abundant intracellular singlet oxygen generation in the target cells. These results suggest that the novel nanoplatform is believed to facilitate the delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to the tumor microenvironment (TME) to enhance the effects of tumor treatment.