Cell biology

Metastasis

Tumor progression

Biology

Materials science

Extracellular matrix

Indocyanine green

Cancer research

Immunology

Immunogenic cell death

Nanotechnology

Immune system

Photothermal therapy

Tumor microenvironment

Tumor cells

Internal medicine

Medicine

Immunotherapy

Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts

Cancer

Cancer cell

Pathology

Nature Communications

Insufficient tumor accumulation and distribution of photosensitizers as well as low antitumor immunity severely restrict the therapeutic efficacy of photothermal therapy (PTT). Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a key role in tumor extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling and immune evasion. Reshaping tumor microenvironment via CAF regulation might provide a potential approach for complete tumor elimination in combination with PTT. Here, tumor cell-derived microparticles co-delivering calcipotriol and Indocyanine green (Cal/ICG@MPs) are developed to modulate CAFs for improved PTT efficacy. Cal/ICG@MPs efficiently target tumor tissues and regulate CAFs to reduce tumor ECM, resulting in enhanced tumor accumulation and penetration of ICG to generate strong PTT efficacy and activate CD8 + T cell-mediated antitumor immunity. In addition, Cal/ICG@MPs-triggered CAF regulation enhances tumor infiltration of CD8 + T cells and ameliorates CAF-induced antigen-mediated activation-induced cell death of tumor-specific CD8 + T cells in response to PTT, eliciting long-term antitumor immune memory to inhibit tumor recurrence and metastasis. Our results support Cal/ICG@MPs as a promising drug to improve PTT efficacy in cancer treatment.

Reversing insufficient photothermal therapy-induced tumor relapse and metastasis by regulating cancer-associated fibroblasts