Polymeric Materials for the Regulation of Tumor Immune Microenvironment

摘要

With great success of cancer immunotherapy in clinical practice, extensive attentions have been attracted to improve the efficacy of anti-tumor therapy by inducing anti-tumor immune response. However, there exists a complicated immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment within tumor tissue, which severely reduces the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy. For a long period of time, polymeric materials have been used as important drug delivery carriers, but their applications in the regulation of tumor immune microenvironment are still in an infant stage. In this review, we described the characteristics of tumor immune microenvironment, which includes the presence of a variety of immune suppressive cells, such as regulatory T cells (Tregs), myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and tumor associated macrophage (TAMs), etc., as well as large amounts of cytokines and chemokines, metabolites, etc. secreted by immune cells and tumor cells. Then, we systemically summarized the strategies of polymeric materials in the regulation of tumor immunosuppressive environment, including enhancing tumor immunogenicity, regulating immunosuppressive cells, and cytokines as well as combination therapy. In the end, we discussed the perspective and challenges for advanced design of polymeric materials to regulate the tumor immune microenvironment, and concluded that by regulating or reversing the immunosuppressive microenvironment, anti-tumor efficacy can be effectively improved.

关键词