Tumor microenvironment (TME) plays an important role in the tumor progression. Among TME components, cancer‐associated fibroblasts (CAFs) show multiple tumor‐promoting effects and can induce tumor immune evasion and drug‐resistance. Regulating CAFs can be a potential strategy to augment systemic anti‐tumor immunity. Here, the study observes that hydrogen treatment can alleviate intracellular reactive oxygen species of CAFs and reshape CAFs’ tumor‐promoting and immune‐suppressive phenotypes. Accordingly, a controllable and TME‐responsive hydrogen therapy based on a CaCO3 nanoparticles‐coated magnesium system (Mg‐CaCO3) is developed. The hydrogen therapy by Mg‐CaCO3 can not only directly kill tumor cells, but also inhibit pro‐tumor and immune suppressive factors in CAFs, and thus augment immune activities of CD4+ T cells. As implanted in situ, Mg‐CaCO3 can significantly suppress tumor growth, turn the “cold” primary tumor into “hot”, and stimulate systematic anti‐tumor immunity, which is confirmed by the bilateral tumor transplantation models of “cold tumor” (4T1 cells) and “hot tumor” (MC38 cells). This hydrogen therapy system reverses immune suppressive phenotypes of CAFs, thus providing a systematic anti‐tumor immune stimulating strategy by remodeling tumor stromal microenvironment.
13 January 2015 in Journal of Applied Polymer Science
Osteoporotic fracture is one of the most serious complications of osteoporosis. Most fracture sites have bone defects, and restoring the balance between local osteogenesis and bone destruction is difficult during the repair of osteoporotic bone defects. In this study, we successfully fabricated three-dimensional (3D)-printed biodegradable magnesium alloy (Mg-Nd-Zn-Zr) scaffolds and prepared a zoledronic acid-loaded ceramic composite coating on the surface of the scaffolds. The osteogenic effect of Mg and the osteoclast inhibition effect of zoledronic acid were combined to promote osteoporotic bone defect repair. In vitro degradation and drug release experiments showed that the coating significantly reduced the degradation rate of 3D-printed Mg alloy scaffolds and achieved a slow release of loaded drugs. The degradation products of drug-loaded coating scaffolds can promote osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells as well as inhibit the formation of osteoclasts and the bone resorption by regulating the expression of related genes. Compared with the uncoated scaffolds, the drug-coated scaffolds degraded at a slower rate, and more new bone grew into these scaffolds. The healing rate and quality of the osteoporotic bone defects significantly improved in the drug-coated scaffold group. This study provides a new method for theoretical research and clinical treatment using functional materials for repairing osteoporotic bone defects.
1 January 2021 in Journal of Colloid and Interface Science