Near-infrared-II responsive ovalbumin functionalized gold-genipin nanosystem cascading photo-immunotherapy of cancer

Abstract

Abstract Synergistic cancer therapies have attracted wide attention owing to their multi-mode tumor inhibition properties. Especially, photo-responsive photoimmunotherapy demonstrates an emerging cancer treatment paradigm that significantly improved treatment efficiency. Herein, near-infrared-II responsive ovalbumin functionalized Gold-Genipin nanosystem (Au–G–OVA NRs) was designed for immunotherapy and deep photothermal therapy of breast cancer. A facile synthesis method was employed to prepare the homogeneous Au nanorods (Au NRs) with good dispersion. The nanovaccine was developed further by the chemical cross-linking of Au–NRs, genipin and ovalbumin. The Au–G–OVA NRs outstanding aqueous solubility, and biocompatibility against normal and cancer cells. The designed NRs possessed enhanced localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect, which extended the NIR absorption in the second window, enabling promising photothermal properties. Moreover, genipin coating provided complimentary red fluorescent and prepared Au–G–OVA NRs showed significant intracellular encapsulation for efficient photoimmunotherapy outcomes. The designed nanosystem possessed deep photothermal therapy of breast cancer and 90% 4T1 cells were ablated by Au–G–OVA NRs (80 μg ml−1 concentration) after 1064 nm laser irradiation. In addition, Au–G–OVA NRs demonstrated outstanding vaccination phenomena by facilitating OVA delivery, antigen uptake, maturation of bone marrow dendritic cells, and cytokine IFN-γ secretion for tumor immunosurveillance. The aforementioned advantages permit the utilization of fluorescence imaging-guided photo-immunotherapy for cancers, demonstrating a straightforward approach for developing nanovaccines tailored to precise tumor treatment.