Multi-bioactive poly(amino acid)-metal-organic framework nanocomposite for reinforced cascading photodynamic immunotherapy of cancer.

Photodynamic immunotherapy (PDIT) represents a promising synergistic approach to enhance the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy by inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD) through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the anti-cancer efficacy of PDIT is limited by insufficient ROS production and highly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments (TMEs). In this study, a multi-bioactive nanocomposite consisting of hyaluronic acid-block-poly(1-methyl--tryptophan-co--glutamic acid) (HA-PMTG) and tetracarboxyl porphyrin-trivalent Fe(III) metal-organic framework (MOF) was developed for enhanced cascading PDIT. The spindle-shaped nanocomposite HA-PMTG@MOF, measuring 188 nm in length and 80 nm in width, demonstrated efficient uptake by 4T1 cells and alleviated tumor hypoxia through the Fenton reaction. Following intravenous injection, HA-PMTG@MOF selectively accumulated in mouse breast cancer 4T1 tumor for up to 48 h. Upon laser irradiation, photodynamic therapy (PDT) coupled with the inhibition of indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) by 1-MDT successfully induced ICD, resulting in a 51.57% increase in cell surface calreticulin (CRT) positivity in the HA-PMTG@MOF group. This increase reduced immune tolerance, suppressed tumor growth, and extended the median survival of tumor-bearing mice to 120 days. Furthermore, treatment with HA-PMTG@MOF on the primary tumor inhibited distant tumor growth through a bystander effect and prevented tumor recurrence by activating immune memory. Thus, the multi-bioactive HA-PMTG@MOF offers an effective cascading strategy to enhance the PDIT of cancer.